London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics: 10 years on from Team GB's Games triumph

It’s 10 years to the day since the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, the start of a glorious summer of sport as Team GB carried the hopes of four nations on their shoulders.

Reporter Alex Hoad recalls the highs and lows of covering the Games and we take a look at how Kent's athletes performed.

July 27, 2012. It feels a lifetime ago, but at the same time, it feels like it was only yesterday.

I jumped on the shiny new javelin train to Stratford that warm Friday afternoon.

The train was packed, but a different packed to usual.

There were no suits and ties, no noisy phone calls which should have been an email.

Instead there were groups: families, friends, sports clubs, probably some schools and offices too. I suspect at least four generations were represented in each carriage.

The air was thick with a sense of anticipation and the smell of sun cream while the uniform of the day was evidently shorts, T-shirts and sun hats with, of course, a splash of red, white and blue.

The Union Flag was sparkling away on sequined tops, smeared over the rosy cheeks of children (but not just children) and draped around shoulders like a cape.

Those who watched the opening ceremony on TV will probably remember it fondly. Those of us fortunate enough to actually be there can’t forget it.

I was wedged between veteran Olympic correspondents from Minnesota and Sydney and even they were in awe.

I was just a kid from 45 minutes down the road who had never seen anything like it, and never will again.

I got a text just as the Queen appeared 50 yards to my left following her OO7-style arrival at the Stadium. My mum said: “You’ll never have a better day at work than this. This is as good as it gets.”

She was right. That summer in Stratford