But something strange has been happening in Beijing. All of sudden we are being showered with medals and many of them are gold.

It's all proves what we all secretly knew all along – being a winner is better than being a loser, no matter how gallant.

Team GB's gold rush has meant the Olympics have become a don't miss TV treat despite the BBC's somewhat shambolic coverage.

Peterborough has more than played its part with teenage gymnast Louis Smith, from Eye, making history becoming the first British man to clinch an Olympic medal in his sport for 100 years.

Most Peterborians have basked in Louis's reflected glory and there's nothing wrong with that. But I was staggered to read one comment on the ET's website that suggested we were all going a bit over board because he had only come third.

Only? Are you having a laugh, pal?

Aged nineteen and the third best in the world at what you do – that is a remarkable achievement. If I was the third best newspaper columnist in the world, I'd die happy.

Louis has a real chance of going two better and grabbing gold in London 2012.

Hopefully, he'll now get some serious financial backing which will give him the best possible chance of success.

As an excellent ET article revealed last week, Louis has other talents, not least singing.

Before he was bitten by the gymnastic bug he almost became a chorister at Peterborough Cathedral.

More recently, he got turned down for an audition by the X– Factor (I bet the producers are kicking themselves now!).

But there's no doubt when it comes to the pommel horse, Louis has got the X-Factor and for that reason we should all be singing his praises.
Roll on London 2012

Amid the euphoria, let's not forget windsurfer Nick Dempsey, who just missed out on a medal. The former Orton schoolboy, whose family still live in the city, came in fourth. Some might say that's failure – maybe even Nick himself – but he's not in my book.

We've got the Olympic bug in the Thornton household. My Special Friend opened up a big lead in the medal table winning gold in cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and shoe buying before I pulled it back with a couple of sterling performances in two of the Cinderella sports – putting CDs in alphabetical order and endurance sofa sitting.

I'm particularly proud of the last one as – the whinging Aussies are keen to point out – we Brits are the kings of the sitting down sports.

But MSF was anxious to re-establish her lead in the medal table so as we laid in bed the other night she made her move.

"I bet I can hold my arms in the air longer than you.'' she scoffed."I bet you can't,'' I took the bait.

Pathetically, I gave in almost immediately, I knew by the steely glint in her eye I was going to lose.

I say roll on Saturday night and the showpiece event – red wine drinking. She's got no chance.