My Olympic Highlights, by Dominic Mahony
Now that the Olympic baton has passed officially to the London 2012 Team, I've finally been able to take time to reflect on a truly fantastic XXIX Olympiad. Living for ten days in the Olympic Village, it was terrific to experience the atmosphere build throughout the Games and how, with each new medal, Team GB's morale rocketed.
The impact a team spirit like that can have should never be underestimated and was evident amongst our Modern Pentathlon Team as their competition day approached. We completed our final preparation phase at our training camp in Font Romeu, in the French Pyrenees, before heading to Beijing five days before competition. This meant that time spent in the village was a source of motivation rather than distraction, and we were safe in the knowledge that now all the training had been done, mental preparation was the key to our athletes’ Olympic performances. For me, encouraging them to enjoy the experience and make sure it was the best day of their lives was imperative to success.
We emphasised visualising successful performance by spending short periods of time in the competition venues and using the big event atmosphere to inspire and excite. 
This paid off, with every athlete setting at least one personal best on the day, three athletes finishing in the top ten and Heather Fell (pictured right) winning a magnificent silver medal. From her first shot down range, a maximum centre ten, she competed with a smile on her face and had the best day of her sporting life.
Another real highlight was the operational excellence that I experienced during my time in China. Everything happened smoothly- the village was well designed and comfortable, the transport system worked like clockwork. Everywhere we travelled, we were greeted by Olympic staff and volunteers with a smile on their faces and an enthusiasm that was infectious.
I also got a chance to watch some other events including athletics in the Bird’s Nest Stadium where there were some truly outstanding performances. From the highs of Yelena Isinbaeva’s world record in the women’s pole vault and Christine Ohorugu’s 400m Gold (pictured right) to American sprint hurdler Lolo Jones's disappointment as she crashed to the ground, the euphoria and despair was astonishing. Jones's failure had a great impact on me.
The Games, if they are about anything, are about the human spirit, and if you have any weakness of spirit, the Olympic Games will expose you.
This said, seeing the race favourite trip and tumble to the floor, then pick herself up, walk across the line and wait to congratulate the winners before she left the stadium, was a moment to treasure. Real dignity and sportsmanship – an expression of enduring Olympic values.
Now that the Games have finished, I am more confident than ever that London can step up to the enormous challenge that lies ahead. From a performance perspective, what an amazing platform to move on to even greater success in four years time! Even for the high performing sports, I am sure there is more to come on home turf.
Our Modern Pentathlon Team must use this energy and confidence to improve on our performances too. We’ll now take time to review our talent and performance pipeline, support and develop our coaches, evaluate technical processes and explore how to prepare for an Olympic Games in Britain.
I truly believe that London has a fantastic opportunity to differentiate itself from other Games through participation levels, engaging our country’s youth and spreading the magic of the Games across the home nations.
For me, 2012 preparations have already begun in both a sporting and business context. This month I have been working with my Lane4 colleagues and the 2012 Planning Team at a top tier Olympic sponsor to help them define what a gold medal performance will look like for their organisation in 2012. It’s all about the legacy left in 2013 as a result of their involvement in London, and we’ve been set the task of helping them prepare for the next four years ‘as if’ they were a team preparing for London 2012. As you can imagine, I thoroughly welcome that type of challenge!
Roll on 2012!
Dominic Mahony with Natalie Benjamin
| 2008-09-26