Always believe in your - soul


It's actually quite hard to know what to make of this rush of British gold medals, since we are so unused to such sustained success as a nation. On the one hand, it brings out the best/worst strains of rabid flag-waving patriotism - we're above the Krauts and the Aussies in the medals table! How do you like them apples, guys??


On the other, the sports at which we're excelling are either somewhat elitist and frankly elicit zero interest save when we win medals in them every four years (rowing, sailing) or have had tons of money thrown at them in order to scientifically develop unbeatable technologies and training methods (cycling), which somewhat takes the fun out of a sport.


That's what's so great about us Brits - we can find the cloud attached to every silver lining. I'm bracing myself for another tidal wave of anti-Paula Radcliffe vitriol tomorrow. Never mind that she was injured and probably shouldn't have even been racing - she didn't win! This makes her a "bottler". (Cristiano Ronaldo, too, is apparently a "big game bottler". I'm sure he's gutted as he sits at home with his Premier League and Champions League medals and stack of Footballer of the Year awards.)


Just as a reminder, Paula is the current world record holder in the marathon, and has won several top class marathons as well as World Championship gold in 2005. However, in much the same way as Tim Henman (perennial fixture in the world top 10 and several light years ahead of every other British-born player of his generation) will be remembered as a bottler who couldn't win the big tournaments, so will Paula be remembered as that funny nodding girl who never won Olympic gold, dropped out of her most important race and did a poo during another (a race which she went on to win, naturally). Ain't Britain great?

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