It was the Women's quarter-finals across the Fly (51kg), Light (60kg) and Middleweight (75kg) categories during the afternoon session of the tenth day of competition at London 2012 Olympic Games. There was not a spare seat and the atmosphere at the ExCeL arena was just phenomenal.

Starting the action in the Flyweight (51kg) category was top seed and reigning three-time AIBA World Champion Cancan Ren from China in action against Russian 28-year-old Elena Savelyeva. The first round began tentatively with both boxers showing restraint, but a good straight gave the Chinese 24-year-old southpaw the edge. A good three punch combination demonstrated Ren's speed in the second as she took the round over the European Champion. The 24-year-old policewoman from China continued to dominate and took the final two rounds to record a 12:7 victory.

'You've come a long way' is the best description one could give the journey of Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon from the swimming pools of Rivière-Du-Loup to the Dr.S.P.M. Aquatics Complex in Talkatora Gardens, New Delhi. Gagnon at 27 is the senior citizen on three member Canadian Synchronized Swimming team, and her dedication to her art and the success she has achieved over time is a true testament to her will to succeed.

In an exclusive interview with TheSportsCampus, Marie-Pier revealed that she was introduced to the sport at the age of 7, but began training for it seriously a couple of years later when she first saw Canadian icon Sylvie Fréchette win Gold at the Barcelona Olympic Games. He role model though is Canadian cyclist and speed skater Clara Hughes, one of only 5 people to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Hughes is also a great humanitarian, doing tremendous work with Right to Play. Gagnon's inspiration though lies closer to home. Her mother and sisters she says are her main source of strength and motivation.

Swimming as an activity is ingrained in society. Most children are exposed to it at a very young age, and hence can relate to the sport with tremendous ease. It was no different in the times of the Ancient Olympics in Greece, but for some reason was never included as an Olympic sport. It was considered as a compulsory physical activity in Greek society, so much so that Plato stated, "One who is unable to swim lacks education."

Swimming is one of the 9 sports that has been consistently held at every Olympics since its revival in 1896. Few would believe that the swimming events in the 1st four modern Olympics were held in the Mediterranean Sea, the river Seine and an artificial lake and not, in a swimming pool.

"They get high on fiberglass", these 6 feet tall 'jumpies' charge with vigor, only few can show, dig their sphere into the ground and rise above all to be victorious. This is the ancient sport of pole vaulting. Professional pole vault competitors use a long and flexible bar made of carbon fiber or fiberglass as an aid to jump over a bar.

Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium is where pole vault will take place as a part of the athletics events from the 6th to the 12th of October. There is both a men's and a women's section of this event. Each competitor can choose a height that they wish to clear for which they receive three attempts. If the first height is cleared they advance to the next one for which again they receive three attempts. It is immaterial if a vaulter clears a particular height or not since he will be eliminated from the competition only once he fails three times in a row to clear the bar.