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Alastair Jamieson/NBC News
Londoners Eva Gray and Ryan Church were among the delighted fans of 'Team GB' at the Olympic Stadium in London, Sunday.
Updated at 5:01 p.m. ET: LONDON - Olympic host nation Britain was in euphoric mood Sunday, celebrating an "extraordinary" haul of gold medals that sent the UK media went wild with Games fever.
Two gold medals on Sunday - including Andy Murray's defeat of Roger Federer at Wimbledon - took Britain's collection to 16 at the London Games, putting it third in the overall table behind the United States (28 gold medals) and China (30).
Saturday was Britain's successful Olympic day since 1908, with six golds in the space of one hour: Two in rowing and one at the cycling velodrome quickly followed by a hat-trick of victories in athletics from Jessica Ennis (heptathlon), Greg Rutherford (long jump) and Mo Farah (10,000m).
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"Their extraordinary efforts have brought rapture to streets, parks and living rooms in London and all over the country if not the planet," London mayor Boris Johnson said in a characteristically hyperbolic statement.
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"It has been a remarkable first week and my hearty congratulations go to every single athlete that has taken part," Johnson added.
"They have entertained billions of people around the world and I for one cannot wait to see what they serve up for week two."
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London Games chief Sebastian Coe, a double Olympic 1,500 champion, said: "I think we've witnessed something sensational. I've never known a night in UK athletics like that, it was unbelievable."
Alastair Jamieson/NBC News
Flying the flag: 'Team GB' supporters (L-R) Chris Elliott and his brothers Patrick, Dan and Nick at the Olympic Stadium in London, Sunday.
It was also a cathartic moment for London, coming almost exactly a year since rioting brought the city's safe hosting of the games into doubt.
"Today, London rose from the ashes," wrote blogger Ronnie Joice on Twitter.
At the Olympic Stadium on Sunday evening, the Union flag and 'Team GB' sports shirts were much in evidence. Eva Gray and Ryan Church, both from London, were sporting imitation gold medals in honor of Saturday night's successes.
Patrick Elliott, who was at the stadium with his three brothers, said: "The roar of the home support must have a lot to do with Britain's success. The noise that was being made when Jessica Ennis was running was incredible."
Carrie Ruddock, a South African living in London, said: "South Africa has also done better than expected - but it's great that Britain has done so well."
Britain's euphoria was reflected in Sunday morning's press coverage. "Britain awakes to an unfamiliar sensation: winning," wrote Jill Lawless of the Associated Press, noting that "a country accustomed to sporting disappointment could scarcely contain its disbelief."
British newspapers continued the theme, the front page of the Sunday Times describing it as "Our Finest Olympic Hour" alongside a spectacular picture of Rutherford flying through the air in mid-jump.
Alastair Jamieson/NBC News
South Africans Cheryl McGregor (L) and Carrie Ruddock at the Olympic Stadium, Sunday.
The Sunday Telegraph had one word for it - "Sensational". The headline ran above photos of all six British gold-medal victors from the second Saturday of the Games.
"That Was Pure Gold" was the Independent's reaction with a sub-heading that read: "One by one we counted them in on another astonishing day of British Olympic success."
BBC via Twitter @suttonnick
The Sunday Telegraph marks Saturday's British medal haul
"Britain's Greatest Day" said the Observer above a picture of a smiling Ennis with a Union Jack draped over her shoulders.
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Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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It is great to see the host country's athletes turning in such fantastic performances in front of their home crowd. With all of the economic troubles facing the country it gives the people something to take their minds off their problems and lift their moods a little.
We watched the tennis final this morning and it was great to see the host crowd so fired up. Federer has won his share of tournaments and understood how great a moment this was for Murray. He congratulated him on his win, then quickly and quietly left the court so all the focus would be on Andy Murray. Nice to see the Brits turning in some great performances.
Haven't watched a single event other than opening ceremony, but glad the host country is doing well :)
Glad the UK is having such a great Olympics. The country put a lot of effort and preparation into the event itself, so it's nice to see their athletes, who've also spent lifetimes preparing for their events, doing so well.
Congratulations!
The "country count" of medals is gross and makes things look ugly....it is about individual achievement...NOT which country spent the most money to get the most medals...very poor taste.
Jessica Ennis is great. and drop dead gorgeous to boot.
I am very happy for all of the men and women because no matter what country they are from they have worked so very hard for very long time.
Good for them - a country that, before last night, when I think of Olympians, Eddie the Eagle springs first to mind.
I don't totally enjoy the Olympics for three reasons. One, Tennis is played by professionals and Basketball also. The other is horses and the rich. Why is there a category for horses that only the rich can own and participate in? Some of these horses cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Olympics should be about people (up and coming new people) events. Maybe there should be an age limit and a different sport for horses. Of course if you want to include animals I'd like to see Bull Riding, Dog training and Lion Taming or maybe Bear Wrestling. Each of these require just as much skill as to ride a horse that has been trained to act.
The modern Olympics was a 19th century European idea of a Baron and it still has aspects of that idealistic time including horsemanship and shooting. In those times, the horse was central to warfare and everyday life.
Some people just like to complain. Best you don't watch.
Baron de Coubertain conceived the Olympics to be strictly amateur far less through purity of ideal and far more from making it restricted to the upper classes (e.g. other barons and similar). A good example of this is that working class men who worked on rivers were classed as professional rowers or sailors and therefore banned from competing. As anybody outside of the monied classes couldn't afford not to work and would have been specialized in their day-job this effectively (and did) restrict entry to 'amateurs' from the upper and/or monied classes. There was very little purity of ideal about it.
Think about it with shooting - discount the practiced day to day marksmen Private from the professional army and you remove all the serious competition; the same goes with fencing - when the Olympic Games began it swordsmanship was still a required military skill (only ended when it was discovered that a sword was not a very good match for a heavy machine gun!). And for avoidance of doubt I'm not speaking as some embittered 99%er, this is from research done on the subject of the Olympics by respected historian Bettany Hughes.
As for what's amateur at the Olympics now.... tennis: professional; basketball: professional; football: professional; cycling: professional; marathon running: professional (the top runners receive 'appearance' fees for competing in many races) and so on and so on.
In fact there's only one genuinely amateur sport left in the Olympics: boxing (surprisingly). And the Olympics is often the springboard for turning profesional - which is why so few Olympic boxers return to defend their victory.
Personally, I'm rather enjoying this Olympics.... and I'm pragmatic about the professional nature of so many competitors.
Federer should have been betterer.
Federer deliberately lost to Murrary out of pity for Murrary's lost in the Wimbledon, so Murrary can gain face in front of his home crowd.
Federer was desperate for a gold medal to complete the so-called 'golden slam' and put the final seal of perfection on his career. He was genuinely upset that he lost - this was clear from his post-match interviews - unless he's just as good an actor as he is a tennis player. Apparently, later in private, he was in tears over the loss. Hardly the sign of someone who threw a match.
(I think the Olympics is also a ranking event for the tennis world which would also make losing deliberately less than sensible.)
Congratulations to all the UK athletes who have given their country an outstanding Olympics so far - beyond GB's wildest dreams I'd imagine. But I know of no other country that puts such a crushing burden on the individual athlete's shoulders of having to win 'for the country', and then winning despite that pressure is a really wonderful achievement. Just a note for Boris Johnson - their athletes have certainly brought 'rapture' all over the UK, but probably not 'all over the planet'.
@New Yorkah, Boris's "... if not all over the planet" is very typical of his use of ridiculous hyperbole for humorous effect. He recently came out with "the Geiger counter of Olympo-mania has gone zoink off the scale!", amongst other gems.
Not sure if the phrase is common your side of the Atlantic but you can afford to take his comment 'with a pinch of salt'.
UK Sport set a tally of achieving one more medal than in Beijing (which was 47) and, as of Tuesday, they had surpassed this by 1. The British team have also accumulated 4 more golds than in total at Beijing. So, it's not really beyond wildest dreams because the target was to match Beijing and add one more. But to do it so early in the Games has been truly uplifting and heartening. Most of the success has come outside the Stadium: 8 gold in the cycling; 4 in the rowing; and more in the sailing. (I suspect we do so well in the 'seated' events because far harder to spill our tea. ;)
By the way, if you look at Boris' remark he 'added "It has been a remarkable first week and my hearty congratulations go to every single athlete that has taken part".
He congratulates every single athlete that has taken part. Not just the British athletes.
Although it was typical eccentric Boris-esque hyperbole....
Watching the British crowd simply lose it and go wild with joy when Murray won was a truly beautiful human moment. Congrats. U.K.
Of course, it was beautiful athletically too!
Amen! Congratulations to Andy Murray and Britain on his magnificent win! Too bad that NBC didn't let us see the gold medal ceremony. Now, if Federer had won instead, we would have seen it by now. Hypocrites.
Federer is the anti-Olympian, staying away from the Olympic Village and not associating with other athletes. A shame he doesn't get the spirit of the Games. Look at Lebron James at the swimming events cheering his fellow Americans on. That's what it is all about.
One of my best friends worked directly with the British athletes so even as an American I can take real pride in their success. Amazing how the home country always steps up.
Hey, NBC - How about letting us see Murray's gold medal ceremony? Why did you cut away to a documentary about Olga Korbut in '72? You didn't even want to remember the Israeli athletes who were killed in Munich that same year! What's the matter with you?
NBC coverage of these Olympic games sucks big time. I can't get your live stream to work even though my cable/internet provider said it should. I couldn't even get your comment form on your Olympic page to work! Figures.....you never did like criticim. Someone from your affiliate in Syracuse doesn't either!
#nbcfail is trending on Twitter even though it's not on their trending list, contrary to what someone at your Syracuse affiliate told me. I can't keep up with the posts as there are so many of them.
I won't be around to watch your coverage in 2016. I'll be outside watching my grass grow.
NBC stands for "Nothing But Crap." Gmab.
Actually they had to wait for the bronze medal match to be completed before awarding the medals. And they did just show it after the Kessy/Ross beach volleyball win.
Otherwise the coverage has been truly awful. Especially the edited prime time remix.
None of that of course is the hosting country's fault. The Brits have done an excellent job.
As a dual citizen of the U.K. and the U.S. I am torn between rooting for the athletes of both countries, but in these Olympics I am proud of both groups who have turned in such awesome results. The years of hard work and sacrifice which produce these athletic champions make for great role models for those who are not daunted by the difficulties. London has shone a spotlight on some new talent, particularly in the swimming arena. Even the infamous weather of England which rained down on some events did not dampen the enthusiasm of the millions of spectators who supported them. As a veteran of W.W. II and the dismal years that followed the devastating bombing of London, its good to see the East End chosen for this Olympics and providing it with a re-birth.
Root for them both. I am. It's been a hoot.
China has won 58 medals but you would never know it by the NBC coverage. I have never seen a country so ignored. I suspect is for political reasons.
Congratulations to the British athletes for their success!
It's great to read the kind comments from our Transatlantic friends about Team GB's performance at London 2012. This is no flash in the pan though as GB that finished 4th in the medals table in Beijing with 19 gold, 47 medals in total, only bettered by China, USA and Russia.
Fabulous Team GB, am proud to be a Brit. Last night's gold medal rush was so emotional. Thank goodness there was no need to wait for the NBC's pre-recorded night-time coverage in the USA. I go to BBC One at Firstrowsports.com, watching LIVE and commercial free, and love Michael Johnson commentating on there.
Fabulous Team GB! It was a very emotional Saturday gold rush but thank goodness we didn't need to wait for NBC's pre-recorded night-time coverage, went instead to BBC One online Live and commercial free. Love Michael Johnson commentating on there.
China was able to win 51 gold medals with home advantage at the Beijing Olympic, not so great Britain has a long way to catch up.
What's the population of China? 1.3 BILLION What's the population of Britain? 62 Million...
It really is a joy to behold how the success at Games has brought the country together. From Underground staff making cheerful announcements in stations every time GB wins a medal, to complete strangers of all backgrounds at the bus stop striking up conversations about the previous night's events, and thousands of people waving flags and flooding to parks to watch races on the big screens.
We aren't a particularly patriotic country, but the fact that we have pulled off hosting the Games and actually won a good few medals seems to have given us a reason to be proud to be British once again.
Also I can't help but mention that proportionally (in relation to population size), Britain has won more medals than China and the USA!