And we thought the Opening Ceremony was good...
Yesterday was one of the great days in British sporting history. From Eton Dorney to the Velodrome to Wimbledon and then finally to the Olympic Stadium, we won, won and won again.
In a cynical society where we seldom believe take what we are told at face value - often with good reason - the stories of talent and hard work rang completely true. Who could not believe that Jessica Ennis had not worked incredibly hard to build on her natural ability to claim Olympic gold? Who could question how proud Mo Farah was to have won, and how much he had sacrificed to do so? Their faces, simply, do not lie; their smiles as they posed, with their families and with our flag, said it all.
Many of us were cynical about the London 2012 legacy motto - Inspire a Generation - but perhaps we might need to revise our cynicism a little. The footage from yesterday will be played over and over again for years to come, a testament to our Olympians' courage, ability and commitment. But the children and young people who watch the footage will also hear that roar of the crowd behind the competitors bellowing them on and cheering as they won. Collective joy at hard-earned personal triumph: what could be more inspiring than that?
And that inspiration might yet go further than young people and sport. What if our Olympians inspired us as a whole nation to do better, not just in sport but more widely?
Apathy and cynicism have pervaded this country for a long time and have become deeply engrained. There is a sense that it's not hard work that pays off but who you know, that institutions cannot be trusted, that our elite are power-hungry and mendacious. But our sporting elite show us all that talent and hard work can pay off not just for competitors but for us all, and have done so in a way that oozes integrity. Most of us could never emulate their sporting achievement; but what if we were inspired to build a society in which integrity, hard work and talent paid off in other parts of our national life?
We have such a long way to go to make that a reality, but so did Mo Farah, Jess Ennis and the rest when they first set their sights on gold. They had a goal to make the best of themselves, to be the best they could be. They fell short along the way and so will we. But let the way they achieved their dreams inspire us all to do better, not just in sport but in our national life. If we can make that the legacy of these Olympics, then these will not just be great moments in British sporting history; they will be great moments in British history.