Atlanta briefly : Pearce offers decent proposal

Canoeing

As soon as the 26-year-old canoeist Shaun Pearce arrived in the centre of the stadium with the British team at the opening ceremony, he went down on one knee and proposed to the team physiotherapist Julie Stark, who stood stunned before accepting, writes Norman Fox. Pearce then produced an engagement ring and, to great applause from the rest of the team, placed it on her left hand. "It was so romantic," she said. "I was so happy that I cried throughout the rest of the ceremony."