2017 IN REVIEW // MOMENTS WE LOVED

By Warren Holmes, Sam Tonks and Dan McInally

 

January // Carroll stunner wows the world.

What a way to start a new year. Few scissor kicks have ever been struck with such precision and power, and few will be remembered in West Ham folklore quite like Andy Carroll’s effort against Crystal Palace at London Stadium.

The kind of goal made for end of season awards, and worthy of world-wide praise, the West Ham striker provided one of 2017’s Stadium’s highlights early into the year.

July // Henson's redemption to win bronze at London Stadium

David Henson (MBE) may not be the most familiar Team GB athlete but his story should be.

In 2010, Henson was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the bomb disposal unit of the Royal Engineers, a year later whilst on duty in Helmand Province, he stood on a hidden IED. 

After receiving life saving operations, Henson had his right leg amputated above the knee and his left leg amputated through the knee, within eight months Henson was walking again with prosthetic legs. 

After taking part in the 2012 Invictus Games, Henson headed to IPC European Championships in Doha and was given the honour of flag bearer. 

Since then he has won medals in the Paralympics, European Championships and this summer he took part in the IPC World Championships, here at London Stadium, as he won a bronze medal in the men’s T42, 200m. 

 

June // Guns N' Roses. GUNS. N'. ROSES.

They said it would never happen. They said it would be a car crash. Well, it happened, and Guns N' Roses' weekend at London Stadium could well be the finest stadium shows ever. Seeing Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan side by side is magical in itself, but allied to that was a three-and-a-half hour career-spanning setlist that changed both nights. Deep cuts like Coma and Estranged sat side-by-side with Welcome to the Jungle and Nightrain. November Rain moved, and Sweet Child O'Mine soared. 

Shows like these don't happen very often. They happen once in a lifetime.

 

August // Brazilian brilliance from Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos

Another moment which resonated with us, was meeting Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos, who represented Brazil this summer at IPC World Championships, here at London Stadium. 

Sprinter Ferreira was jubilantly celebrating in the mixed zone with his compatriot Yohansson Nascimento, and were exclaiming their joy... in broken English, repeating “I am Happy, We are Happy, I love London!”

To understand Ferreira it’s important to understand his childhood and love for sprinting, at the age of two his arm was amputated below the elbow after an accident with a grinding machine on his father’s farm. 

He was signed up to compete in a school event and won, despite having never trained and using borrowed shoes. Before winning gold here at London Stadium, Ferreira won the T47, 100m gold at the Rio Paralympics, breaking the world record twice in two days.

 

May // Lanzini downs Spurs to hand Hammers bragging rights and ruin rivals' title tilt

Every team in the Premier League always seems to have a game of the season, one that fans remember for years to come. For West Ham United, it proved to be the victory against Tottenham Hotspur in May. 

It was Spurs’ best chance of the title in several years, and the visitors travelled to London Stadium in desperate need of victory, to narrow the gap to Chelsea to a single point. The first half was a close-fought competition but neither team could find the breakthrough, and it was scoreless at the halfway point. 

A game that continued on a knife edge, was only to be won by a moment of magic. Step forward the diminutive Manuel Lanzini, who poked home the only goal of the game after a corner wasn’t dealt with by Spurs. This was a game that signalled the importance Lanzini had to this West Ham side, and that the club were coming out of the shadow that Dimitri Payet left.

 

August // Mo raises the roof at London Stadium

The king of British Athletics, Mo Farah, came into the IAAF World Athletics Championships as heavy favourite, and the bookmaker’s choice to bow out on the track with style. It was to be his last competition as he brought the curtain down on a legendary career. The opening day of the Championships saw Mo Farah run his 10,000 meters, and what a run and atmosphere to boot.

 It seemed from the outside looking in that Farah never really got out of third gear during the first half of the race, but really turned on the style towards the last few minutes, backed by more than 50,000 inside London Stadium. The final laps saw a cauldron of noise envelop the venue, and on the final bend, it seemed that all his hard work would turn to nothing as he almost slipped, however he was able to regain his footing, the noise from the fans was deafening. 

The support coming from the crowd was like nothing we’d ever witnessed, and it seemed to really push Farah to the gold. An incredible way to open a stunning ten days at the venue.

 

June // Robbie's loving London instead

Three musical acts graced London Stadium this summer. After Depeche Mode started the series for a devoted crowd, Guns N’ Roses wowed the world with their shows, and Robbie Williams took to the stage to close the month.

The finale to the British leg of his Heavy Entertainment Show Tour brought a sell-out crowd and sparkling lights as his biggest-selling single Angels created a fitting spectacle to end a fantastic musical run at the venue.

 

September // Hammers denied miraculous derby comeback

Not all memorable moments have come in victory. London Stadium has hosted stunning city rivalries already in the 18 months since West Ham United made it their home, but one that rung true with us, was Tottenham Hotspur's visit to London Stadium early in the 2017/18 season. 

After the first half saw the Hammers blitzed by their city rivals, a second-half fightback saw the hosts only denied an equaliser to level at 3-3 in the dying stages after scoring twice to ensure a dramatic finish.

 

July // Cockroft dominates World ParaAthletics

Hannah Cockroft was all-conquering during the IPC World ParaAthletics Championships. She was responsible for three of Britain’s 18 gold medals of the championships, and carried herself with grace throughout, it was a testament to her character and commitment that she was able to do this well. She dominated every event she was in, the 100m, 400, and 800m T-34. 

We had the pleasure of speaking to her following her world record-breaking T34 100m effort on Friday 14 July.

Her interview emphasised joy at the result, at her return to London Stadium and the atmosphere inside it. Watch the full interview with Hannah Cockroft here...

 

December // Derby day joy for West Ham

Our final moment sees a return to football, and to the visit of Chelsea to London Stadium. What better way for West Ham to see in a new managerial appointment than with a hard-fought victory over their city rivals? That's exactly what we were treated to.

David Moyes’ first win in charge of the Hammers saw his team not only defend for their lives, they worked harder than the opposition and got the London Stadium crowd's backing with a ferocious atmosphere. 

An important victory for Moyes’ men leading into the busy festive period, lifting the crowd was always going to be important for the Hammers, but the win surely added a boost of confidence to all the players involved.