Delirious British newspapers today hailed the country’s greatest ever day at the Olympics, with heptathlete Jessica Ennis featuring as the poster girl on all the front pages.
Red, white and blue were the colours splashed all over the host nation’s press as it went into a patriotic frenzy over the six gold medals the British team won on Saturday, including three in athletics.
The Sun tabloid called the gold medallists “The Six Pack”, with the headline next to a picture of Ennis showing what it called her “washboard stomach”.
“Our finest Olympic hour” was the headline in The Sunday Times, which featured a special souvenir cover wrap consisting of a giant photograph of a beaming Ennis with her arms raised in triumph.
On the front page itself was a picture of Greg Rutherford’s unexpected gold medal-winning long jump against the backdrop of the Olympic stadium, while the paper said it was “one of the greatest days in British sporting history”.
The broadsheet had a separate box on the front for 10,000-metre gold medallist Mo Farah, describing how his journey “started on the streets of war-torn Somalia” -- he was born in Mogadishu.
“Sensational!” said the Sunday Telegraph over a picture of Ennis waving the Union Jack flag above her shoulders.
Beneath her were pictures of Farah, Rutherford and the other winners: Britain’s victorious men’s four rowers; the lightweight women’s double sculls team, and the women’s pursuit cycling team.
The right-leaning broadsheet had particular praise for the “commanding performances” by the athletes, whose medals all came within the space of one hour, saying it was a “dramatic night which electrified the Olympic stadium”.
The Observer also described it as “Britain’s Greatest Day”, featuring a huge picture of Ennis, again with the Union flag over her shoulders, and a picture of Mo Farah.
“Incredible haul of six Olympic gold medals in day of thrilling drama,” said the left-leaning broadsheet.
The Independent On Sunday coloured its masthead in the colours of the Union Jack, with the headline “Happy and Glorious”. Ennis had been “crowned queen of the Games”, it said.
The Mirror tabloid splashed with “Yes, yes, Jess!”. It also offered a cuddly London 2012 mascot for only 10 pence (15 US cents, 13 euro cents).
The mid-market Daily Express newspaper described Ennis as “Jess the Best” and gave away free Union Jacks for readers to wave in support of the British team.
And the Star on Sunday cheekily celebrated the “Joy of Six”, featuring a main picture of Ennis, and pictures of other winners framed inside Olympic medals.
“Wasn’t that a Brit special?” it asked.