I feel confident saying that we are in a golden era for British sports (the England football team excepted), the Olympics were preceded by Bradley Wigins and Chris Froom standing 1-2 on the Tour de France podium, it was not that long ago that no British riders took part in the race.
Onto London, billions of pounds have been spent, stunning stadiums have been constructed, a rather deprived part of East London regenerated into an oversized playground that will leave a lasting legacy and triple the number of 50 meter pools in the city (really, London had one Olympic sized swimming pool) and show the world that the UK does appreciate sport beyond football.
This is a city that I still feel at home in, even though it’s 15 years since I lived here. I consider this my hometown Olympics and nothing was going to stop me missing them.
Last Friday the flame was lit and these games were declared open and the country stopped worrying about the bills, the security screw-ups and embraced these games. This is a country that knows how to throw a party, and this one seems to going very well.
While it will be spectacular to see if Usain Bolt will continue to dominate the sprints, or if Chris Hoy can deliver on the huge expectations, there is plenty of compelling drama is away from the headliners of world sport.
This morning I had no idea who Gemma Gibbons was, and I still have little idea how Judo is scored. But today I watched the 42nd ranked woman in the world have the competition of her life, in her home city, and come away with silver. I may not have a great understanding of the sport itself, but I can appreciate the story as it unfolded throughout that afternoon.
This is why I find sport is so compelling.
I’m not sure if me being wide awake at 1:45 in the morning is because of the anticipation of joining the party, or jetlag. I suspect mostly the latter, but tomorrow is time to watch some rowing and then see if Jessica Ennis can meet the huge expectations placed on her.
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