Great Britain's Mohamed Farah celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win gold in the men's 5,000-m race at the London Games on Aug. 11, 2012.
It may have been the greatest night in British sporting history. Within an hour, three British athletes — heptathlete Jessica Ennis, the U.K.’s poster child for the Games, long jumper Greg Rutherford and distance runner Mohamed Farah — won gold. “We got Willy Wonka’s ticket,” said delirious British fan Steve Wilkinson as he was leaving the Olympic stadium. Farah’s finish, in the 10,000-m race, was the most dramatic: during his kick in the last 50 m, you’d be hard-pressed to find a louder stadium anywhere in the world. “It was like someone gave me 10 cups of coffee,” Farah said of the home crowd’s effect. “It was just like, ‘Whoa.’ ” A week later, Farah electrified the stadium again as he took gold in the 5,000 m on the last night of racing.