One BRAT jumped off a roof and it landed her right at the London 2012 Olympics.

By SANDRA TAN

alltherage@thestar.com.my

HOW often does one jump off their roof to try to win a chance to go to the Olympic Games? Not very often, really – and it is strictly advised that nobody tries it – but that is exactly the leap I took.

The risky stunt proved to be worthwhile when I passed my audition to get one step closer to becoming a Samsung Global Blogger (SGB).

After two rigorous selection rounds in the competition, I became one of 58 bloggers from around the world who were flown into London to report on the happenings at the Olympic Games. Each SGB was given an official blog space endorsed by the International Olympics Committee for articles, pictures and videos to share our adventures in the city with the world.

Our Local Heroes

My adventure kickstarted way before the Games as fellow Malaysian SGB Tian Chad and I managed to catch national badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei for an interview just prior to his departure for London.

He promised to do his best, which he did by putting up a good fight against Lin Dan in the men’s badminton singles finals, earning Malaysia its second ever Olympic silver medal.

I was also at the Aquatic Centre cheering on Malaysian diver Yeoh Ken Nee at the men’s 3m springboard diving finals.

There was a glimmer of hope for Yeoh to earn Malaysia another medal as he executed his dives consistently until a costly slip-up meant he only finished tenth.

It was great to be there to support our Malaysioan athletes, and to see them giving their best in competition. I think we can all be proud as Malaysians that our athletes were able to bring home a silver and bronze medal!

The Mexican Upset

I was also able to witness one of the biggest upsets in recent football history when Mexico bagged the gold for the men’s football finals by beating Brazil, who were favourites in the competition.

I was completely caught up in the electric atmosphere at Wembley Stadium with rounds of Mexican waves going on and on.

Seated just in front of the goal where both countries scored their openers, I joined in the celebrations as Mexican fans went absolutely wild when the final whistle was blown.

Admittedly, the game could have been more eventful but the 86,000 crowd was more than enough to keep my heart pounding with excitement.

Around Londontown

Besides the Games, we bloggers were put into teams to cover the many attractions in the city. The tasks included hunting down Olympic mascot statues and covering the streets where the Beatles once walked.

One of the biggest highlights for me would be the street art show by renowned street artist and filmmaker Thierry Guetta, aka Mr Brainwash. His art show featured various Olympic motifs in conjunction with the Games.

My team included representatives from Austria, Italy and Britiain, and we sure took London by storm.

Bringing It Home

While our athletes brought home medals, Tian Chad and I bagged the first and second prize respectively as the Best Samsung Global Bloggers for London 2012.
That may have scored us some great Samsung products, but what I really took home from the entire experience just cannot be put into a box.

The opportunity itself to write and produce videos for the Olympic Games was simply incredible. I have made many new friends from around the world and I have conquered London.

But above all that, it was an honour to represent Malaysia as a Samsung Global Blogger, and also to witness our local sporting heroes in the flesh.