OLYMPIC GAMES: London games prove a spectacle beyond compare for Caller-Times photo journalist

From start to finish, the London Olympic games were an amazing display of strength, talent and perseverance. They also were an emotional ride for the athletes, crowds inside the venues and viewers across the globe.

Watching U.S. swimmer Nathan Adrian roar in the water after winning his first Olympic Gold medal in the men’s 100-meter freestyle.

Amazing.

Then watching him climb the stands to see his mother and toss her his bouquet. You can’t help but be moved.

“I love you, mom,” he said before going back to pose for photos with the other medal winners.

It’s then that you start to see these are more than superstar athletes. They are big kids living out their dreams.

“It’s pretty amazing seeing a 1 next to your name. I almost started crying in the water,” Adrian said after the race. “I kinda touched the wall and ‘Oh, sweet, I’ve won’ then there’s 10 to 15 seconds. Holy crap, this is the Olympics. I’ve been watching this since I was a kid.”