WELCOME TO THE OLYMPICS

IT'S THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH AND OUR GUEST SHIFT THIS MONTH, TELEVISION PRESENTER EDWARD RUSSELL, TELLS US WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE AT THE HEART OF IT.

- EDWARD RUSSELL

THEY SAY THAT good things come to those who wait. Well, I waited 34 years and finally appeared at the Olympics. It was one hell of a wait. Thankfully, the good thing that eventually came was one of the best experiences of my life.

My name's Edward Russell and I've been fortunate enough to present live from some of the greatest sporting events in the world. I interviewed Rafael Nadal on the biggest court in tennis - Arthur Ashe Stadium - moments after he was crowned US Open Champion for the third time. I was at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix where I had the unenviable task of interviewing then Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg straight after they took each other out on lap one. From the red clay of Roland Garros, to the desert racetrack of the Bahrain International Circuit and the pristine grass carpets at Wimbledon, I've been there standing in front of a camera, reporting live to TV screens across the region.

Yet the Olympics was the one event that had always eluded me. It's the holy grail for any sports presenter - the world's best athletes all converging on one city for two weeks of non-stop sporting theatre. Four years of gruelling preparation, blood, sweat, and tears, culminating in one race, one throw of a javelin, or one lap of the velodrome. Entire nations coming together, united in their love of sport. The greatest show on earth.

I won't go into the backstory of how I got to this point in my career - a career I for so long had imagined but never thought imaginable. I've been told to limit myself to 1,000 words and to explain every twist and turn that brought me to this very moment would see me not only exceed the word count of this piece but the entire issue.

Instead, I'll start in Paris in the middle of July, ready to live my dream, broadcasting live from the Games of the 33rd Olympiad for Mediacorp.