Congratulations Team GB!

Many congratulations to all members of Team GB, who finished an unbelievable 2nd in the overall Medal Table at the 2016 Olympics at Rio. Our final tally was 27 golds, 23 silvers and 17 bronzes, so a grand total of 67 medals - just brilliant!  We finished 1 place higher than when we were hosts in 2012, with 2 more medals, albeit 2 fewer golds. Congratulations to the US for topping the table with 46 gold medals (including 16 in swimming!), with China 3rd with 26 golds.  Congratulations also to Bahamas for topping the number of golds per head of population, with Jamaica 2nd and Coatia 3rd (this table puts the US 30th, GB 13th and China 54th). 

There were several things I thought were particularly noteworthy in the performance:
- increasing our medal total from when we were hosts (the first time this has happened in the modern era)
- coming 2nd and beating China 
- retaining 17 golds from 2012, 14 by the same athletes
- topping the table in cycling, rowing, triathlon and sailing (seems like we like sitting down!)
- medalists ranging from aged 16 to 58
- winning medals in 19 of the 25 sports entered (at 15, the highest diversity of sports where a gold medal was won of any country per the BBC) 
- 35% of the 366 Team GB athletes returning with a medal, including every member of the 15-strong track cycling team
- all this from a low point of only winning 1 gold in 1996 in Altanta. That incredible improvement has come in only 20 years, with a lot of credit going to the funding by the National Lottery. This was set up in 1993 and a fifth of the 28% of money going to 'good causes' goes to sport. As a result, the World Class Performance Programme was set up in 1997.

The best Team GB achievement in my view - Mo Farah for the double double (Usain Bolt overall for the treble treble!). My favourite moment - the Women's Hockey team winning gold. Most surprising win - Max Whitlock winning two golds for Team GB in gynmastics, who'd have guessed!  

Excellent games Rio!  Roll on the Paralympics!

(PS: A photo of me in the Spitfire from yesterday as taken by G is show as an Extra)