The Rio 2016 Olympics start on Friday night. Back in 2012, the last Summer Games were held in London, and photographer Mike Munhall of Bennington was on hand to capture it.
We caught up with Munhall and asked him to share some of his favorite photos and memories from those London Olympics.
“Most of the final events were in the evening,” Munhall said. “This night Usain Bolt was going to go for the gold in the 200-meter dash. I got to the stadium early in hopes of getting that iconic shot of him crossing the finish line. An hour before the event there were over 200 photographers at the finish line and the prime spots had been reserved for the Associated Press, Getty Images and Reuters photographers.
I was politely but firmly told I needed to find another location. I had watched his 100m win from the balcony a few days previous. So, I took a walk and headed for the starting line at the far end of the stadium. I was the only photographer there.
Eventually, the runners appeared, Bolt in the middle. It was fascinating watching them try to psyche each other out. Each of them waved to the crowd as they were introduced. They positioned their shoes in the blocks ready for the starter to say ‘Set.’ At that moment Bolt looked at me and I took this photo. 30 seconds later he was the Olympic champion.
It was a good lesson for me to look for an angle the others have missed.”
“This photo of South African runner, Oscar Pistorius, seems kind of prophetic,” Munhall said. “A few months after it was taken, Pistorius was accused of killing his girlfriend. He ran from Olympic glory into the fire.”
“One of the most moving aspects of the Games was opening night. The pageant that the organizing committee put on was lavish and entertaining but it was the Parade of Athletes that I found most moving. Thousands of extremely accomplished men and women grouped by nation walked into the stadium of screaming fans and the Queen.
Some delegations like the United States and Great Britain had huge teams. But there were many that only had one or two athletes. Some had to overcome huge odds to be there.
However, whatever country each one came from they had worked for years to be walking into the Olympic Stadium that night. Years of training and sacrifice got them there. Hours of daily training. Wins, defeats and more wins got them to this point and the pride of each one filled the air.
When I realized that a highlight of the Games came this first night, I couldn’t imagine how the Games could get any better; but they did.”