Second weekend of the Olympics - and I got my first glimpse of the Olympic Stadium (on the inside)

Yes, it was another day inside the Olympic games for me on Saturday, and these days just seem to be rolling into a big blur at the moment, one day is very much like the next and somehow you do manage to get few minutes of sleep here and there.

Kind of a strange start to the day as I didn't quite know what the day would hold for me - feels like the journalists are getting slower and slower in deciding what they wish to have covered. Luckily I still had decided to venture down to Stratford early in the morning - as 8.30am I got a txt asking if I am covering the Women's Pole Vault at 10am at the Olympic Stadium.

Off to Canon desk at the MPC to borrow a 500mm lens for the day, so I can at least photograph some of the action inside there - you'd need something even longer if you really want to cover stuff happening far away. But - first time handling a lens this long and it was quite strange, but well worth it for athletics in a stadium that big. First time in a while that I've covered athletics - and Pole Vault was a tough thing to photograph as the 'moats/pits' near it were full of photographers who were covering women's long jump and Jessica Ennis.. for some odd reason :-) So not an ideal angle to shoot from - but I got what I needed from the few jumps the Finn made.

Snapped few quick images of 'Blade Runner' making his first appearance at Olympics - and some Finnish runner whose name I have conveniently forgotten.

stadium

As I was making my way back to the press room (we have to walk all around the stadium through the 'moats' ... and we exit/enter right under the Olympic Flame.. which in its own way is quite cool to be so close to something you've seen on TV many times as a kid.. and now I walk right under it (and could touch it - if it wasn't so hot.. it is actually very warm with all those flames burning). And as the Men's 100m finish line is right there - and the qualifying was happening, the Photo Marshall seemed very surprised that i wasn't going to the moat over there to take pictures of Usain Bolt.. Oh well - not everyone needs to snap images of him.. and I already have few of him in the archives from many years ago.

After this it was yet another athlete interview session - with Danish runner in the Athletes Village. And yet again another toasted ciabatta bread - after the Olympics I think I am quite OK without having a ciabatta for a LOONNGG time. And even Coke is starting to come out of my ears at the moment.. Thank goodness I'll heading out to Westfield for the job later on.. might be able to get something different to eat at the Food Village over there.

At the various media spaces (which you the visiting public do not see) it is starting to show very clearly that the tournament is wearing on, the couches at the main Press Centre are occupied by sleeping photographer/journalists at any given time.  The tiredness is starting to seep into each and everyone of us over here.. and I can say with quite a bit certainty that the energy drink manufacturers are missing a big deal over here.. Cola just doesn't cut it when you need that little boost

For the evening I decided to have a look (well, photograph) the Men's handball for the first time in London - repeat of Beijing Final - as Iceland and France met at the Copper Box. Covered the first half of the game - but unlike the women's game.. the men rarely showed any emotions and the match reminded me more of wrestling :-) So after the first 30 minutes i decided to call it a day and head out.

It is actually a good thing to leave in mid-session if you can (maybe only applies to media) - as the whole Olympic Park was like a ghost town while the events were going on. So it was very easy to walk to the MPC - catch the empty shuttle to Stratford and no rush/queues at that end either.. You learn something new every day :-)

Day wasn't finished quite yet - as I had decided to switch hotels just to stay somewhere else and not in one hotel for 18 nights.. so checked in around 11pm and just settled down for the night. No power-shower (that's NORMAL shower to all you living in the Nordic countries.. but here in UK we need to give special names to showers that produce normal pressure) - so the evening shower was under the drip-drip of a proper British shower.

Decided to check online stuff once more - only to see the GB basketball crew in full swing talking about the major collapse the Men's team in the second 20 against Australia.. that kept me 'entertained' for few moments before it was time to call it a night... and at the time of falling asleep, I still had no idea what Sunday would hold for me.. possibility of the Marathon.. definitely another media session.. and wouldn't mind the France vs Norway game in the evening..