16 days we will never forget

On that last party night in Beijing, taking in one last awed look at the scarlet glow of the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium, it was hard not to bid farewell without a sense of trepidation. The XXX Games were now Great Britain's but how could we follow that in 2012? Especially after all the marvels we had seen over two glorious weeks?

Remember the opening ceremony and that flying man, suspended like magic in the night sky and floating round the stadium carrying the Olympic torch?

Who could have believed we would see that trumped during the Games itself by a flying man on the track called Usain Bolt and his 9.69 seconds of magic in the 100 metres followed by another 19.30 seconds worth in the 200.

Then we looked across the vast Olympic Green to the incredible illuminated space age Water Cube.

There, we wondered how one man, American Michael Phelps, could light up its interior by powering up and down a swimming pool with such purpose that he would end up taking home one more gold than the whole French team.

We savoured unmatched venues, clockwork Chinese organisation and an overwhelming national enthusiasm for the festival which, even if choreographed to the last minute detail, never felt anything but genuine.

And even if, as the smog disappeared, Beijing was still able to conceal the secrets it did not want the world to see, few visitors could have departed feeling less optimistic about the country's future than when they had arrived.

So fast forward seven weeks. The gold rush has made way for the credit crunch. Beijing's extravagances have become an idealised memory amid gloomy predictions that London's will become the flat-pack Games complete with slashed budgets and temporary venues. And again it nags away; why should London think it can follow Beijing?

Well, if you're anywhere on the route between Mansion House and Trafalgar Square today, the answer lies on top of a bunch of floats.

Look up and you will see the finest sports team ever to represent Great Britain. They are the champions who brought back 19 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals from the Olympic Games the best haul in 100 years.

So applaud the 'Real McHoy', hail 'Queen Victoria', cheer for 'Becky', 'Chrissie O' and 'Wiggo', little Tom Daley and all.

Because never mind the magnificence of the Beijing stage, it was the quality of the performances of this British troupe which left the most indelible impression. Look up and remember that most of this cast list will be back for an even more rousing encore four years hence.

Watch Becky Adlington and reflect that if a happy-go-lucky kid from Mansfield was able to crush the world's best distance swimmers aged 19, what might she be capable of at 23?

They were all heroes even if the great thing was that they never thought of themselves that way.

Dave Brailsford, the man behind a group of cyclists so extraordinary that no British team have ever dominated a single Olympic sport so completely, put it best when he looked at his champions, like triple sprint gold medallist Chris Hoy, double-winning pursuiter Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton, the fastest woman on wheels.

"Olympic values are old-fashioned values about respect, integrity and doing it the right way with modesty and fair play," the performance director explained.

"I think they encompass that; they're really special."

Brailsford sentiment is so right. You only had to witness the booing of Ashley Cole at England's Wembley home on Saturday to appreciate the growing dislocation between multi-millionaire footballers and their public but in Beijing, these uncommon champions with a common touch were so much easier to identify with.

Their successes did not come, as British tradition had previously dictated, in dribs and drabs, looking like happy accidents.

Instead, for the first time they rolled in by design, day after day, the result of proper funding, preparation and ultra professionalism which will only be heightened at home next time. Yet still there was a feel of the Corinthian about them; they were, to a man and woman, a delight to deal with.

Like those on our doorstep. Chertsey's paddling doctor Tim Brabants; Wiggins, the lad who dreamt his childhood cycling dreams round Hyde Park; Rebecca Romero, Twickenham's rowing-turned-cycling phenomenon; and Christine Ohuruogu, who can take 15 minutes to walk from her Beckton pad to the Olympic Stadium and another 50 seconds to sprint to another gold.

London shouldn't have to look far beyond its own for more golden treats in four years' time.

Let's recognise that it's the Team GB athletes we salute today, and the athletes they will inspire, who can best ensure that IOC chief Rogge will have the same memories of our city on the night of 12 August, 2012.