I hope you enjoyed the race! I’ve spoken to lots of people since then that have told me they were on the edge of their seats and screaming at the television, so I hope you’ve recovered from the shock and thanks for the help!

Beijing might be over, but London's on the horizon.

The days since the race have rushed by in a whirlwind. Immediately after we stepped off the medal podium the madness started and it’s barely stopped since. That night we were taken into a press conference at the Olympic Village that started at 11pm and finished about 3am.

I received personal congratulations from the 1^st Sea Lord, and then of course there was the interview with Gaby Logan where slow-mo footage of Hodgey telling me he loved me was played to ‘Je t’aime’ – I haven’t been allowed to forget that since.

I managed to catch some athletics at the Bird’s Nest (what a stadium!), some wrestling (where I felt small) and the modern pentathlon (where I saw our girl Heather Fell get a silver).

In the evenings I was able to go with my girlfriend Sally to meet friends at some fantastic Beijing venues. London House was the pick of the bunch for me – an amazing outdoor venue in the heart of Beijing set up by Boris Johnson for British people connected to the Games and 2012.

It was a real home from home and a fantastic place to start unwinding and catch up on the BBC coverage on the big screen. We also met with friends from U.S. rowing that I know from my Boat Race days at America House and saw plenty of sports coverage on the big screens at the China Club where we were kindly invited by Omega.

On the last night in the Village most of the Team GB athletes got together outside our block of flats and met properly in a much more relaxed state. We stood outside chatting, having a drink and listening to music in what looking back now seems to be the calm eye of the storm.

Towards the end of the night I struck on the idea of putting up a human pyramid with a 6-man base, using all the athlete’s different body shapes to their best advantage – heavyweight rowers and judo players on the bottom, swimmers, athletes and canoeists in the middle and gymnast Beth Tweddle on the top. One of my friends thinks it is “probably the greatest achievement of the whole two weeks”!

Flying into Heathrow on the Team GB flight on Monday with the nose cone painted gold was a unique experience. Before then, we’d all been in a bit of a Beijing bubble and it suddenly dawned on us at the same time that lots of people at home have been following us too.

It’s been fantastic hearing all the different stories of support and celebration and I feel very proud to have come home to such a great country. Can you imagine how good our home Olympics is going to be in 2012? Count me in!

The party is over. The visiting army of fans, athletes, coaches and journalists that have been camped out in Beijing are taking to the skies and going home. The expected crush at the airport hasn’t materialized. The roads were clear heading out to the new Norman Forster confection on the outskirts of the city – it’s an odd number day on the roads – and the check-in queues no worse than a busy public holiday. The flight delays however are another matter.

There’s certainly a morning-after the night before feel and some far-away looks on many faces, preparing for long-flights home. Bodies are tired from over two weeks of watching, reporting and competing, compounded by the final blast of celebrations last night. And most people would agree it has been a blast, and the final hit of fireworks after the closing ceremony a fitting end.

The Bird’s Nest was so locked-down before and during the closing ceremony that it was difficult getting within half a mile of the stadium without official security passes. Around the perimeter areas, locals families and fans without tickets found positions to get a glimpse of the stadium and fireworks, or watch what was happening inside on the gigantic TV screens on Pangu Plaza that towers next to the stadium.

After the hand-over ceremony between China and the UK – this time going in Britain’s favour  – its London’s turn to be the holder of the Olympic flame.  There may be a feeling of burn-out here, but in four years time most foreign visitors to these Games will be ready to do it all over again in London.

BEIJING, China — With just a handful of positive doping cases so far in the Games, professor Arne Ljungqvist, the IOC’s Chief Medical Officer is a contented man. Content that the IOC’s anti-doping program is catching drugs cheats and that the fight to rid sport of illegal performance enhancing substances is being won.

Arne Ljungqvist: Helping change the attitudes about drug doping in international sports.

“It will take a generation to change attitudes,” he says from the IOC’s main encampment in Beijing — three floors of an enormous hotel complex that has also been home to the IOC’s “Olympic families” for the past 17 days.

“People involved in sport from countries where doping used to be routine, like in Russia and Eastern Bloc countries are still around and still working in sport as coaches and working closely with athletes.  It will take a generation to create doping-free environments for athletes.”

As we talk, Jacques Rogge strides past, toward his office and a member of the CCTV crew waiting nearby leaps out of his seat to hail him: “Mister President!”

“Mister President” Rogge had said before the Games he expected there to be about 30-40 positive drugs incidents during the Beijing Olympics. Ljungqvist believes their anti-doping methods are working and acting as a good deterrent, which is why the number of positive results so far is so much lower than Rogge’s prediction.

Between 4,500 and 5,000 tests will have been conducted on athletes by the end of the Games — twice as many as Sydney in 2000 — and despite the contrary opinion of many within sport, Ljungqvist believes that they are effective enough to catch athletes who use human growth hormones that are harder to trace than other substances.

Ljungqvist is also charged with making sure the Games are conducted in good health all round — from the city’s air quality to encouraging a healthier lifestyle in Beijing even after the Games have ended

As for McDonalds as a sponsor, he has no problem with them as an Olympic partner, believing they still have an image problem rather than anything else. 

He’s also hopeful that the work done to make the air cleaner and city’s streets more pleasant will continue.

The factories that have been shut down since the end of July to help reduce city smog are supposed to stay closed until after the Paralympics. Whether they will or not after most world’s media leave Beijing remains to be seen.

BEIJING, China — Beijing calls this Olympic Games, “One World, One Dream.” My  wheelchair restricted Olympian dad and I call our experience to China’s capital city symbolic of “One Big Helping Hand.”

Why? One moment after another, Dad and I continued to be awestruck by the lengths people — complete strangers — have been going to assist us, acknowledge us and sometimes simply clear the way.

We traveled well prepared for self-sufficiency. Realistic about how we’d traverse the airport, the city and take in the games within our own set boundaries, I’ve been wearing flat rubber sole shoes and a modest-sized backpack carrying all our little essentials. Dad has been hands free in his brand new, thick-cushioned royal blue wheelchair.

We’ve been a great team out to master our own Olympic sport: attending the games with one pair of able legs and a set of four wheels. Piece of cake, I figure.

Yet when strangers — young and old, on the job or taking in sights — spot us there have been Moses-like parting of sea moments. We’ve lost count how many times this has happened. Still each time, we are overtly surprised and grateful.

Some politely step aside when we approach and then others shuffle to our aid — hands reaching in but to help. Some lift his chair so we can maneuver over high steps or over the broadcast TV cables stretching across roads and sidewalks. Others push my hands off the handles and push the chair with enthusiasm. Beautiful reinforcements to the long-held reputation many Asian communities have about their respect, duty and honor of their elders.

I have been astounded the Olympic motto could apply here: citius, altius, fortius — faster, higher, stronger. When have you ever seen a three-person team of men manually hoist an elderly man along with his 25-pound wheelchair into an exceptionally tall eight-person van? No complaints, no hesitation. Just a go-to, how-do-we-get-the-job-done approach.

It’s Day 4 into our journey and I’ve only had to push Dad’s wheelchair two times for any great distance. And what do the lovely people who care for us seek in return? Nothing.

But I tell ya, the giggles we hear from our simple thank you of “xie xie” (pronounced sheay-sheay) and if we happen to have one handy, a CNN Olympic pin, are some of one of the most beautiful gifts we’ve enjoyed here.

It’s the icing on the cake for us. Dad and I have been looking forward to this journey for a while.

Dad came here to reunite with teammates from the 1948 London Games: Two-time gold medalist platform and springboard diver Sammy Lee, bronze long jumper Herb Douglas and gold medal sprinter and hurdler Harrison Dillard.

It was a beautiful reunion of octogenarians who shared adversities like living during the Great Depression, enduring segregation and fighting in World War II,

So a tearful, emotion-filled, bear-hugging celebration between the four is exactly what I and about 20 other “Olympic family members witnessed.

Dad is 83 now but he still has an unbelievable vivid memory filled with a lifetime of travels and adventures. I believe Dad when he says this has been one of his best Olympic game experiences for him ever,  one filled with Olympian friends from 60 years ago along with countless strangers who treated us like long-missed family.

BEIJING, China — While Usain Bolt is holding court in front of 20 TV cameras, Ricky Simms sits at the back of the darkened bar, his eyes darting around the room.

In the shadows: Ricky Simms is working 9-to-5 at the Olympics, 20 hours a day, that is.

He’s the figure standing in the shadows, the man behind the man: Usain Bolt’s manager since 2003. He can’t help but smile when talk of cashing in on Bolt’s current superstardom.

“It’s certainly true, now is the time to strike when the iron is hot,” he says while triple gold-medlaist Bolt languidly replies to another question from the floor about his Olympic performances.

Simms is not quite Tom Cruise’s character in “Jerry Maguire,” although the haircut is similar. The young media-savvy Irishman who has a background in sports coaching and management, prefers to think of himself more as an Alex Ferguson-type of person. One, that like the Manchester United manger, nurtures the talent and looks after their well-being as well as showing them the money.

“Athletics managers are quite different to football managers, as well as maximizing their earning potential we also look after the day-to-day stuff, like where he stays, how he travels.”

Taking care of Bolt’s business has almost become a full-time occupation since the world record-breaking performances.

“He’s the man of the moment,” he says, “but it’s important that I look after our other clients, too, put my arm round the ones that haven’t done so well and say, ‘hey, next time.’”

With around 30 athletes on his company’s books, keeping everyone happy and making sure that he can put that comforting arm around all his charges has almost been an event of Olympian proportions.

His days have started around 9 a.m. and finished at about 5 a.m. the next morning.

“It’s been hectic, after the events the athletes go through the mixer; they go through drug testing and I’d have to accompany them through that and take them back to the village. With Usain there’s a lot of media hype and everywhere he steps out there’s 20 people [who] jump on him looking for autographs. As well as meetings, I have to take athletes to their sponsors.”

As the press conference ends and the music is cranked up, Simms jumps out of his seat. “Is Usain dancing?” he asks. With that he was off to make sure his golden boy was doing the right thing and will continue to do so.

BEIJING, China — The city has been plastered with Olympic decoration, from the Beijing 2008 flags that line the eight-lane highways, to the mascots that appear on billboards, shop fronts and as temporary tattoos on fans.

Beijing's Ritan Park offers a peaceful break from the Olympics-fever in China's capital.

While they’ll all still be up until after the Paralympics, many of Beijing’s parks have provided a break from the mass bombardment of Olympic decoration and branding.

Even though the Games are in their final throes, a visit to Ritan Park on Saturday morning revealed the side of Beijing life that outwardly couldn’t give a hoot about the Olympics.

Only some strategically placed Fuwa in a shrubbery gave any hint that the Games were happening.

No one was even sure where the “protest zone” was in the park, as no one has protested there throughout the Games.

There was even a surprising absence of community security volunteers — locals keeping an eye out for anything amiss, easily identified by a red armband and a watchful eye. For all the visible and smiling Olympic volunteers, these other volunteers have been observing both locals and visitors alike.

The only hint of a protest be found was between some mahjong players, as the usual pursuits of tai chi and post-prandial strolls took place much like during any other sunny weekend.

Others made the most of the good weather by hitting the beach. It might be nearly 100 miles to the Yellow Sea, but Beijing’s Tuanjiehu park attempts a bit of Bali, albeit with a fun slides and a wave machine.

Not quite Venice beach when it comes to beautiful bodies, it’s a popular spot for Beijing families and a few expats beach bums, desperate for some sand between their toes.

If anyone had been inspired by Michael Phelps or one of China’s myriad of diving medalists it wasn’t showing. With the Games winding down, it’s time to relax.

ATLANTA, Georgia — With the Beijing Olympics winding down and the prospect of pre-midnight bedtimes approaching, I’ve got mixed feelings. Love the sport overdose, and most (but far from all) of the events, but lordy, some things annoy the proverbial out of me.

Australia's Steve Hooker celebrates after winning the men's pole vault in Beijing.

What’s with how the majority of U.S. media does the “medal tally”? I’m yet to find (not saying they don’t exist) another country where the medal “total” decides what country sits atop the table.

Is this because the U.S. has usually had the biggest “total”? Hmmm.

Everyone else uses the number of gold medals to list the leading nations — including the IOC.

The way NBC and others (from the New York Times to the Contra Costa Times suburban newspaper near San Francisco) lists the leaders, the U.S. is winning!

Don’t worry China, everyone else thinks you are.

It’s been a terrific competition, but coverage here in the U.S. has been patchy in terms of sports chosen for prime time coverage. Beach volleyball the first week was fine … but by the second week? Enough already! Hours of it! Is soccer even being played in Beijing? You wouldn’t know it from being perched in front of the telly every night.

And not to U.S.-bash, but what was with the dude who came second in the 110 meter hurdles? Comes up to the camera, index finger raised, yelling “Number 1 baby! Yeah! Number 1.”

Um, ‘cuse me David Payne. You were second.

– Michael Holmes is the anchor of “BackStory,” which debuts on CNN International on September 1.

On Sunday the baton passes to London (sorry for the pun) for the 2012 Summer Games. But as we have seen in the 4×100 relay with both American squads, it’s easy to fumble the exchange and suffer indignation for the next four years.

London's Olympic park will transform the city's east.

London 2012 organizers have sworn that the city will be ready — and ready a year early. Of course we’ve heard that before only to see venues finished with just weeks to go. I seem to recall the last minute renovations for beach volleyball in Athens.
London has a right to be confident of a gold medal. The International Olympic Committee said the progress on the Olympic Park is “truly outstanding” with four years to go. The park has been a massive building site for a year already. 

There is little else for London to build. Some of the rest of the venues are existing world-class structures (Wimbledon for tennis, Wembley for football, Eton Dorney for rowing). Then there is the usual temporary use of existing buildings (the ‘Dome’ for gymnastics, Earls Court for volleyball, ExCel Centre for boxing, table tennis, weight lifting and martial arts). London is also proud that there will be the last minute transformation of iconic sites just for the games (the Queen’s horses will be pushed aside at Horse Guards Parade for the barely-dressed Beach Volleyball participants).

The credit crunch has made it difficult for private contractors to get funding to build the athletics’ housing. The money is coming from the existing budget for now, but will have to be paid back. At least that’s the plan.

The British press continues to focus on this budget. It was set last year at £9.3bn ($17bn) and has not moved. It was a lot smaller when the 2012 Games were awarded in 2005, but tax and security was added along with a contingency cushion. Then there is the rise in steel prices.

The games themselves will cost a further $4bn and be paid for by corporations, TV rights, merchandise, ticket sales etc.)

That budget — much of which will be spent on lasting projects that will transform east London – has not moved once.

And that is why London won the games instead of Paris.

London promised to clean up an industrial wasteland. I was at the site two weeks ago and the biggest structures on site are massive machines that literally wash the soil for reuse. The rivers are also being cleaned up and the ugly power lines are being buried below the whole area. 90 percent of the industrial waste (bricks etc.) is staying on site to build foundations for the venues.

So now with the budget set and the building well underway, everyone is asking what will be left afterwards.

The stadium will be cut down from 80,000 seats to 25,000 and become the home for the country’s athletics. The various cycling venues will be relocated next to the new velodrome being built near the stadium. Britain won four times as many medals in cycling in Beijing compared the next country and it wants to build on that success with a focused national cycling center.

But many people want to know how London will benefit beyond sports, particularly since tax payers, lottery players and local councils are footing much of the bill.

East London is ethnically diverse with high unemployment, high crime, and few decent stores, even though it is just a few miles from the bank towers of Canary Wharf.

Organizers say the Olympic site will be transformed into to the biggest urban park constructed in Europe for 150 years. New transportation links will fill a region devoid of infrastructure and the Olympic Village will be sold off for thousands of homes. There is already a massive mall being built on the edge of the site.

But critics are worried that falling land values will be force the Olympic Delivery Authority to sell the land off to the highest bidder to help pay back some of the government’s bills. They want the London’s mayor to promise that some land will simply be handed over to local groups (as was hinted to years ago).

Britain has done much better than expected in the Beijing Olympics and that will put pressure of the organizers to get it right. Many people in Britain will judge that on whether the budget proves to be optimistic and whether the government continues to support Team GB with the amount of money needed to build on Beijing’s success.

BEIJING, China — British rower Peter Reed looks a little bleary-eyed when we meet on Friday morning. Three hours sleep and the gold medal in his pocket explain the reason why.

“It’s gloves off and enjoy yourself, now,” he says while gently sipping water in a café around the corner for the Athlete’s Village.

While there are still some athletes competing, it’s clear that the atmosphere in the Athlete’s Village changed from the site of professional dedication and focus to something more like a university campus at the end of term.

Since his win in the coxless fours in the rowing competition, there have been plenty of late nights for Pete and his crew to go along with all the press events and conferences.

As for GB team rules: “Just respect the other athletes who are still competing, and don’t get arrested,” he jokes.

The British block is next to the Brazilians and Swedes and everyone rubs along pretty well, he says while the café’s waiting staff come over for photos with Pete and his gold medal.

“The Kiwis have a whale of a time, the Aussies and Americans, too. It helps speaking the same language, but we can go out and have fun with the Chinese, speaking the international language of having fun and dancing.”

It’s understandable that after four years of dedicated training and self discipline, cutting loose from the strict regime leads to a heady atmosphere.

“We’ve got a nocturnal lifestyle now. It’s so, so far away from what we do normally which is training seven days a week, in bed by 9.30 p.m., getting up at 5.30 a.m. It’s a world apart but so much fun.”

Sometimes too much fun. While athletes train to perform feats of physical endurance, speed and strength it seems they’re not always too well prepared for a big night out.

“I came back at close to 6 a.m. a couple of nights ago and I had to step over athletes who hadn’t quite made it back to the Village. They’d staggered out of the taxi but hadn’t quite able to get their accreditation out and pass through security.”

He was too diplomatic to say from which country they came from, demurring to at least say they came from Asia.

As for activities in the Village: “It’s an amazing place to be. It’s going to sound a bit pervy, but the swimming pool in the Village is incredible, there are the most amazing bodies lounging around by the pool, it’s like a music video.”

A slightly freaky one, perhaps.

“There are incredible athletes from different shapes and sizes, from different nations. Guys that are nearly 8 feet tall that tower over me and girls that weigh about 35 kilos (77 pounds). It’s all completely different, very nice to see and a crazy place to be.”

In a place that has such a high concentration of perfect physical specimens, the Games have been renowned for the socializing between athletes to become even more intimate — 100,000 condoms were supplied to the Village at the start of the Games.

“100,000?,” he laughs. “I reckon it’s just the Kiwis making water bombs out of them and chucking them out the windows at the support staff. That sounds like a good night out for them.”

BEIJING, China — Edwin Moses looks as fit as ever. Wednesday night at a small gathering of past Olympians, I met and briefly spoke with a man who was a hero of mine when I was a teenage runner in North Carolina. He was proud of the U.S. runners in the 400-meter hurdles — Angelo Taylor led a sweep by the United States — but as often happens in a social setting, the topics of conversation changed to work and family.

Edwin Moses: The 400-meter legend traveled to Beijing with his son.

For Moses, the highlight of the trip had been being able to travel to the Olympics with his 12-year-old son, Julian. It was only a few days before they departed for China that Julian was looking at the newly arrived visas and said, “Dad, thank you so much. I can’t believe we’re going to China.”

If you’re curious, Julian is a “renaissance man”, in terms of sport, Edwin said. Julian plays just about everything: football, golf, tennis, scuba diving. But the old man says he will never push his son toward athletics. But interestingly enough, Julian called dad up one day to tell him about running the 800 meters in a meet.

“I’ll tell you one thing about track, you have to be prepared,” Julian said.

Mine was a short visit with Edwin. He was there to see some of the other greats from track and field – Tommie Smith, gold medalist at 200 meters in 1968; Harrison Dillard, four-time gold medalist in 1948 and 1952; and Mal Whitfield, who won five medals in ‘48 and ‘52.

These days Edwin has his hands full, working for the Laureus Academy, giving motivational speeches and building a new Web site.

“You need to go to edwinmoses.com, we have a lotta good stuff on there,” he said in parting.