MOmentous

So, as you’ve probably already seen on Twitter and Facebook, today I finished the picture of my very favourite, most inspirational moment of the London 2012 Olympic games.

There were so many highlights to choose from. Each day seemed to bring a clutch of new and remarkable success stories. But for two Saturday evenings running (<----do you see that clever use of a word there, my blog reading buddies? This isn’t even supposed to be a ‘funny’ post and yet without even trying a joke has appeared. What’s that? Just say ‘pardon the pun’ and move on? Okay then.), Mo Farrah had me dancing around my front room with delight.

Unfortunately, tonight of all nights, Blogger isn't letting me upload the picture to this site, so here's a link to the image if you haven't seen it yet...http://twitpic.com/apabow

Distance running is a funny old event. Unlike the 100m final which is over more quickly than the time it takes me to think of an example of something really quick, the ebb and flow of the five or ten thousand metres has you on the edge of the seat wondering exactly how things will pan out. Has he left it too late? Has he gone too soon? Has he been blocked-in, jostled and had nasty names shouted at him by a gangly Ethiopian?

The gently paced monotony of the early laps work up into a frenzied last 800m or so. As I watched Mo head to the front, kick on and then hold off the charge of his competitors, I was on my feet, jumping up and down as if that would somehow speed him along. During that final bend, my arms were pumping and I was shouting “Come on Mo!” until I was hoarse. I’m almost certain that I was more in need of a sit down than he was once the race was over.

Never before have I wanted a sportsman to win quite like I did Mo in those two races. Usually I’m far more detached - even about sports that I follow regularly. For some reason, I had a genuine sense of desperation for this person who I don’t really know and have very little in common with, to succeed and achieve the pinnacle in his races. The relief I felt when he did so was immense.

I’m still trying to work out exactly why my emotions told me that Mo’s victories were a matter of life and death importance to the world. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to answer that, but it is how deeply I felt about it.

No surprise then that I just had to draw Mo as my favourite Olympian. I already felt like I had a bond with him and inevitably that grows when you spend many hours staring at and interpreting someone for a portrait. Although he doesn’t and most likely never will know it, at some deep and meaningful level, Mo and I are good mates.

So, onto the competition! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. There were a broad range of possible subjects suggested that really reflected the breadth of the British success in the games.

Several people thought I was likely to paint one of Team GB’s pretty girls, which was a good effort and may happen at some point. But as much as I love Mo, the only time I would describe him as “pretty” is when used next to the word “amazing”.

In the end, two of my buddies from Twitter - Kev Bedford and Geraldine Banks both correctly guessed that it would be Mo that I was drawing. This is unless I’ve forgotten a correct entry from someone else - in which case, unlucky.

I’m currently trying to devise a tiebreak to decide the ultimate winner. If everything goes to plan, I’m actually going to video this, so Kev and Geraldine - you’ll both have to wait just a little longer. Don’t worry about that though because the anticipation is probably better than the prize itself.

To everyone else who is interested, I’m going to get a print run done of some postcard sized pictures. These will measure 6” x 4” and cost £5 including postage. All profits will go to Mo’s charity - the Mo Farah Foundation - who help provide life saving aid to people who face starvation and disease in East Africa.

I’ll be listing these on my Etsy shop in the next few days if you’d like to help a good cause in return for a small slice of Olympic joy.

Win win win! (nb: there may be three wins, but there's only one prize)

So, the final curtain has dropped on the Olympics. Let's hope it managed to avoid the dying embers of the flame because, with London 2012's closing ceremony budget clearly spent on Russell Brand's hairspray and gallons of Ovaltine for One Direction, I'm pretty sure it would have been made of very cheap fabric which would ignite in a flash.

I shall miss the games - they have dominated my life for the past couple of weeks. If the aim of the games was to "inspire a generation", let's hope Lord Coe meant that for children of the 1970's, this involved them being motivated to sit on their arses, glued to the tv whilst snacking. Without wishing to blow my own trumpet, these past 16 days have been a personal best for me on that front.

Although it has been the most amazing spectacle, it's actually a bit of a relief to get back to real life again. It's like having eaten a massive, delicious, yet very rich meal. I've thoroughly enjoyed it, but now it's time to sit quietly and digest everything.

For me, this will take the form of drawing a portrait of someone from the games that encapsulated the thrill and wonder of it all. I've not painted a picture for myself for ages, so it's really nice to feel this inspired to do so. I appreciate that in terms of exercise, this involves me moving from my sofa to my computer for the next few weeks, but at least I won't be snacking - baby steps (as in incremental progress, not as in tiny children performing a cover of 'Tragedy').

In order to help share the nice warm feeling of inspired celebration that's within me right now, I thought it would be nice to run a little competition. I'll be giving away a signed print of the portrait to one lucky person who correctly guesses who I intend to draw. Leave your answer in the comments box below - you don't need to be signed in to leave a comment, but please ensure you give a name so that I can uniquely identify you.

Terms and conditions apply - in summary these allow me to do what the hell I like with this competition, so don't get stroppy and stuff. Feel free to offer bribes to help increase your chances, although blackmail is strictly forbidden. And in the spirit of unity and equality, so is whitemail.

It'll take me a few weeks to complete this piece, so entries are open until either it's a) finished or b) I accidentally reveal who I'm drawing in another blog post or tweet and ruin the whole thing.

The only real rule is that it's one entry per person, although if you can be bothered to set up fake email addresses to get round this, good on you.

If there is more than one correct guess, I'll draw a winner at random (as in picking a name from a hat, not as in going into a state of trance and drawing the ethereal face I see hazily floating in front of me).

The only clue I'll give at this stage is that the person I'm drawing was a star of the games and is definitely either male or female - i.e. not one of those big shot putting or weightlifting people from China who look like they have both sets of tackle (and probably also a healthy dose of swine in their family tree).

So, best of luck if you want to take part. Feel free to ask me any questions, just so long as they don't turn this into a game of Olympic 'Guess Who?' with ones like, "does she wear a hat?", or "does he have a greasy comb-over that makes him look like he's overly fond of school children?". Cheers.