Team GB — which secured one gold and 15 medals 25 years ago in Atlanta — has become an Olympics heavyweight, finishing in the top four of the medals table in the last four games, picking up an astonishing 87 golds in the process.
It has not been an accidental success story. Powered by lottery funding, UK sport funnelled £345m into Olympic programmes for the Tokyo Games, a 30 per cent increase on London 2012.
The funding formula has been labelled brutal and as an arms race — money is allocated to those sports and athletes deemed to have the best chance of winning medals. But no one can doubt its effectiveness.
There are questions over whether Olympic success leads to a fitter nation as a whole. What is clear is that it makes for world-class athletes, inspirational stories and a proud nation. Now, bring on the Paralympics.
