News & Views

Olympic Preview Part 7: British Track Star Painting Welcomes Planes To Heathrow

Jessica Ennis 60 yards by 80 yards painting near Heathrow AirportJessica Ennis is one of England's big hopes to win a track and field gold medal at the upcoming London Olympics. The 26-year-old native of Sheffield is the current European champion and 2009 world champion, in the seven-event heptathlon. 

Ennis, the silver medalist at the 2011 world championships in Daegu, South Korea, has been ranked number one in the world for the past three years. During May, she set a personal best and world-leading mark of 6,906 points, while competing in Austria.

In a related note, Ennis is featured in a gigantic 60 yards by 80 yards British Airways sponsored painting (larger than 15 tennis courts), located on a grassy field, just three miles west of Heathrow Airport. 

More than 600 liters of weatherproof paint were used during the two full days of project construction.

The piece, which is accompanied by the slogan:  "Welcome To Our Turf," will be viewed by millions of overseas visitors, as their planes descend into the famous London airfield. 

This effort serves as a reminder to foreign athletes and fans that England will have the "home country advantage" during the Olympic Games.

 

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Bruce has traveled the world, both working for and covering a wide array of the sports world’s greatest events. Below is a sampling of the level of experience and perspective he brings to ifollosports.com.

OLYMPIC GAMES:  
Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City 2002, Beijing 2008     
*Editor of the Official Report of the 1984 Olympic Games

PAN AMERICAN GAMES:   
Caracas 1983, Indianapolis 1987, Havana 1991, Mar del Plata 1995, Winnipeg 1999



WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES:   
Zagreb 1987, Duisberg 1989, Sheffield 1991, Buffalo 1993, Fukuoka 1995, Sicily 1997, Palma de Mallorca 1999 

USA TRACK AND FIELD:     
World Championships (Helsinki 1983), World Junior Championships (Athens 1986), World Cup (Rome 1981), World Cup (Havana 1992), Pan American Junior Championships (Barqisimeto 1982, Orlando 1986)  Editor of USATF annual calendar project (1980-1991) and Cross Country handbook (1979-1991) 

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 
World Baseball Classics in 2006 and 2009.

ASSOCIATED PRESS     
Correspondent covering the Los Angeles Lakers and UCLA Bruins basketball, track and field, and swimming 1977-1989
  

A California native, Bruce is a 
graduate of UCLA and resides in Venice Beach.

 

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