ContinueSo that's it, the flame has flickered and been extinguished and all we are left with are memories, but indelible memories and a greater sense of pride and purpose today.
We Brits are not big on self-congratulations and nationalistic pride. We're more comfortable with our self-deprecation and cycnicism. Today every person in this country feels an inch or two taller. London delivered. And for someone such as myself, a veteran of six previous Games, it was very, very special indeed.
How can I encapsulate 17 days of ultimate glory and drama in one short blog? The answer is I can't, but here are a few personal highlights from my travels around the venues and the competitions. Bradley Wiggins - wins the time trial on the back of the Tour de France making it four golds and seven medals in total, before sitting on a throne at Hampton Court to deliver his V for Victory sign.
Chris Hoy - I wasn't convinced the old man with the big arse could pull it off. We spoke a few months back when he described the pain of training to me. It has now all paid off. Six gold medals and history made.
The three team pursuit girls - I watched them break three world records back to back on their way to winning gold. Three sweet girls who look as if a gust of wind could blow them over, and yet, on a bike, they become ruthless killers. I almost felt sorry for their Australian opponents. Almost. Laura Trott is the new queen of the track after adding omnium gold, while Joanna Rowsell proved an inspiration to all fellow alopecia sufferers.
The Brownlee brothers in Hyde Park - teammates, competitors, rivals but, above all else, close brothers with an unbreakable bond. Their embrace at the end, close to exhaustion, was one of the great moments of these Games.
Jess - the pressure heaped up on her as the face of these Games was immense, especially after finishing second in the world outdoor and indoor events last year, but she delivered with bells on and even won the 800 metres in the stadium when she did not need to.
Katherine Grainger - there were so many highlights from the rowing lake at Eton Dorney, not least Helen Glover and Heather Stanning bringing home Team GB's first gold, and the men's coxless fours defending their title. There were more moments of trauma there, too, than in most other venues. Who can forget how desolate Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase were in winning silver? But my golden moment was seeing Katherine finally, after three successive silvers, finally strike gold with Anna Watkins. Nice girls do get to win after all.
Super Saturday and 45 minutes in particular - the best moment in GB athletics history. We, perhaps unfairly, expected it from Jess. We hoped for it from Mo in the 5,000. And we rarely gave Greg Rutherford much thought at all, save for a chance of a medal. Instead it was a remarkable treble of gold to send the 80,000 crowd into raptures.
Rudisha - come on, that was a simply, incredible performance, arguably the greatest in the whole Games. Of all the world records smashed in London, Rudisha's 800 metres is the one that will remain long in the memory.
Usain - performer, entertainer, the saviour of track and field, and now legend. How could we have ever doubted him?
Mo - two stunning displays in the 10K and 5K revealing guts, skill, tenacity, bravery and belief. Was Mo the stand out British performer at these Games? Probably.
The boxers - big Anthony Joshua on the way to fame and fortune and Nicola Adams's smile. What a smile.
Big Bad Ben - Mr Ainslie provided one of the best quotes of the Games. "They've made me angry. You don't want to make me angry." No, you don't, which is why he is now the most successful Olympic sailor of all time.
The equestrian teams, in both eventing and dressage. What a Games they had, and what a venue too.
Jade Jones's celebration - I think that helmet's still in the air.
The list could go on but I have to highlight one more thing. The volunteers and the army. You guys put a smile on British society as much as our winning team of Olympians. Thank you, and thank you London.
