Those were the best days of our lives: Three Olympic medal heroes reveal what impact London 2012 has had on their lives

KATHERINE GRAINGER

THERE was no doubting the immensity of the London Olympics, which were the culmination of a long-term quest for me. A home Games is very rare and meant the awareness and expectation among the general public were huge, so Anna [Watkins] and I not only had our own nerves to cope with but those of our friends and family too. My sister is a teacher and, for months, her pupils were asking her about the Olympics and, as far back as January, my mum was being asked about it all the time even in the shops and at the hairdressers. I found out the date of the double sculls final when a stranger in the street approached me and said: ‘You’ll be looking forward to 3 August.” I replied: “Why, what’s happening on 3 August?”

It was a very emotional time because we knew that we had just one opportunity to win and the only result that we could have lived with was gold. But we were also determined to enjoy and appreciate the experience. Any Olympics is big but this was the biggest event in sport and vast majority of spectators were British, cheering and screaming in their thousands. It felt wonderful, like a very personal support – we got an ovation just for walking to our boat. And Anna and I fed off that – it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

There had been some scepticism before the Games and the ticketing and security issues added to that. The torch relay and opening ceremony were a big success but were followed by a few days when there were some great results but none of the gold medals people had expected. That was actually a good reminder that no one was going to roll over for us, that we didn’t have a right to win just because it was a home Games. It reminded us that any happy endings would have to be hard-earned.

In the build-up, all the emotions were magnified – pride, fear, expectation and hope. But, mainly, there was a sense that it was our best chance. It felt different to anything else I’d ever done before but I was no more nervous. In fact, the atmosphere made me more focused. I felt more clear-headed and detached in the race than I ever had before. I could block out my emotions and actually enjoy the race. Racing is the reason I’m in the sport and there is nothing better than racing at the Olympics where everyone will be at their very best.

As a home athlete you are the target for the rest of the athletes and the race was pure adrenaline and excitement against a backdrop of deafening noise. It was far beyond what I’d expected. The year had been fuelled by emotion but, in the race, the focus was on the actual process of rowing rather than the desire to win. So, when we crossed the line, we lifted the lid on all those emotions and the result was sheer, utter joy. It’s difficult to describe just how good it felt.

I haven’t changed as a person since the Olympics, I just feel massively content and fulfilled. I think about it and talk about it every day but the best thing is that, five months on, people still tell me about their own experiences because they all shared that day with us. And the memory of it always seems to put a smile on their face.

SCOTT BRASH

WHEN I heard the Olympics were going to be in London I thought they would be good but I don’t think I had any idea just how amazing they were going to be. In the weeks leading up to the Games I was working too hard with my horse Hello Sanctos to take too much notice of everything that was going on and all the hype. But, when I walked out on Hello Sanctos at Greenwich, it was crazy. I got goosebumps and the shivers. It exceeded all my expectations by such a wide margin. I just thought: “Bloody hell, this is fantastic.”

I know now that those were the very best days of my life because nothing can ever come close to that. I loved every minute of it, partly because everything went to plan. It really helped that I wasn’t nervous, I was so focused on making sure everything went like clockwork that I didn’t have time to be nervous.

Lots of my friends and family travelled to London to support me but I pretty much stayed on my own for the three days of competition and didn’t see much of them because I was so busy. Each evening I’d go back to the hotel, have something to eat and relax. On the first and last days of the Games I was in the Olympic Village, which meant I got to rub shoulders with the likes of Jess Ennis and Bradley Wiggins, both of whom were huge inspirations for me. Generally, though, I stayed in a hotel in Greenwich, so it was a lot quieter, which suited me.

I celebrated winning gold by going out and getting royally pissed. I didn’t even get very far. About 100 yards past the gates of the equestrian venue there was a pub called The Greenwich Arms and we all just waded in there and drank the night away. Then I had a chippy on the way home – the perfect way to round off a perfect day.

After a day’s rest, I was back to compete in the individual event, which gave me another chance to drink in the incredible atmosphere. The supporters were amazing and helped to make the event so memorable. Actually, that term doesn’t do it justice. Breathtaking is closer the mark.

Since the Olympics, my life has changed a bit. I was at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year last week, which was absolutely amazing, and I get far more calls from reporters asking for interviews. But I’ve seen how the Games have inspired and changed the country in some small but important ways. When I’m out hacking my horses up the road I now see hundreds of cyclists overtaking me when before there were only a handful. I think the Olympics has inspired those people just as they inspired me. Having a gold medal has also helped me and my horse get into better shows than before, which is definitely good for my career. That said, while memories of London still flash back into my mind all the time, for the most part life is back to normal.

I’m back doing the things that I did before, working hard with the horses – but never forgetting the best days of my life.

DANIEL PURVIS

 MY EXPECTATIONS before the Olympics were that we might qualify for the team final and that I would be competitive in the individual. Had anyone told me the team would be in the top five, I’d have been stoked and would have thought it was a great result. To win a medal was just amazing and that whole day and night still seems unreal.

What has really stuck in my mind were the fans, who were incredible. With the chanting and shouting it was more like a football match and when it came up that we had won bronze rather than silver, the whole place just went crazy. I thought the roof was going to come off.

It’s a time in my life that I will never forget. The success was all the sweeter because it was so unexpected but that was probably one of the reasons we did so well. There was no pressure on us and we just went out there determined to enjoy it. Then we got some momentum and it just seemed to go from there – the more the competition went on, the better we got.

I was first to compete and was the most nervous I’ve ever been but it turned out to be one of the best routines I’ve ever done. By the time we got to Louis [Smith] I had begun to get really excited because you could see we might win something.

I’ve known all of the other [Team GB] boys since I was ten or eleven, so we’ve almost grown up together and we’re great mates. It was amazing to be able to share something so unforgettable with them but it was also a pity that I had to compete the next morning so, instead of being out celebrating, it was back to the village for an early night and then up at 6am.

Things haven’t been the same for me since London. Afterwards, everyone seemed to know who we were and recognise us. I’ve done so many interviews now and, by being an ambassador for Samsung, I’ve been invited to some amazing parties, which I’ve managed to get my mates into, which makes you pretty popular!

The best thing about it all, though, was the fact that, as soon as the Games finished, there were these huge waiting lists for gymnastics clubs, which had never happened before.

If we helped inspire the next generation to try our sport, then that’s a result in itself.

I took six weeks off after the Games and, since coming back, it’s been hard to balance my media and commercial commitments.

But I’m already looking ahead to the European and World Championships, and to competing against the English boys at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

In fact, the banter has already begun, so bring it on!