August 12, 1920 - ninety-years ago today. A harness race at Parsloes Park, London. The trotter Henrietta Guy was approaching the finish line as its driver cried out "Stop my horse". The horse continued to the winning post, its driver fell to the ground, having suffered a heart attack, and died. An incredible end to the life of Walter Winans, a man whose place in the history of the Olympic Games is both unsung and unique.

It can be a reflection of an occasion of euphoria to describe something as "the best ever". It could be the statement of a serial sycophant, as with the late JA Samaranch, to describe each Olympics as "the best ever". I'm not in a position to say whether the 2012 London Olympic Games - held in their tightly-controlled environment of both the strictest physical and commercial security - are the best ever. But watching from my armchair, my couch, my computer desk, more often from my bed at 5 or 6 am, I'm willing to call the athletics competition at the 2012 Olympic Stadium as the most enthralling I've seen. Even in those events where the favourite(s) were so obvious.

Another memory of one of the darkest eras of athletics history - the East German sports "program" - was erased on Friday night.

Should the Not Trying Hard Enough Police take a look at Usain St.Leo Bolt's performance in the 200 metres final on Thursday night?

Three events are in progress today that simply should not be Olympic sports. One is dressage. One is synchronised swimming. And the other is rhythmic gymnastics.

As expected, Wangi's Nath and Goobs took out Australia's fifth gold medal on the water at Weymouth on Wednesday in the men's 49er class. That gives the Australian sailing team their second gold, making it the first time since Barcelona 1992 that swimming has not been our most successful gold medal sport.

Where Liu Xiang failed, Sally Pearson succeeded. Along with the Missile probably Australia's most pre-hyped competitor at London 2012, Pearson delivered in the final of the women's 100 metre hurdles on a wet Tuesday night.

As a track cycling illiterate I've avoided paying close attention to the Velodrome until watching today's heats in the men's keirin. And I immediately had one question: who is the dude in black on the pace vehicle?

In the Olympic Games there's a temptation to measure greatness by the number of medals won. This carries a bias towards those who enter many events and do well in most or all of them. On the other hand, there are those who enter only one event because that's what they specialise in, or that's all that's available. And among those athletes, those who came back Olympiad after Olympiad and keep on winning their one gold. Think Steve Redgrave or Al Oerter.

It's like the good old days of Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul again, when Australian gold medals were rare events to be savoured, not the passe quota-fillers of Athens and Beijing. On the tenth official day of competition, Tom Slingsby has taken out the men's laser event in the sailing competition to deliver Australia's second gold medal of the London Olympic Games, nine days after winning its first.