But it's not specifically Louis (19) I want to talk about.

As anyone who reads this column will know, I don't do sport, politics, religion etc.

I do, however, do parenting, in particular issues of parental responsibility and parenting post-divorce.

And so I turn the spotlight on to a woman who I've never met before, but I've heard a lot about (and all of it good), Louis's mum, Elaine Petch, from Eye, near Peterborough.

With the unstinting support of her own mum, Elaine has sacrificed so much to ensure that Louis could realise his Olympic dream.

In interviews, Louis repeatedly acknowledged the role of his mum and family.

When he returned to Britain, he told The Evening Telegraph: "I'm glad my mum was able to share it with me. she put in so much hard work to make my dreams come true.

"I'm so grateful to my family, friends and coach who have been there with me and have picked me up through the rough spots."

Before he left for Beijing, Louis paid tribute to his mum.

He said: "It has been hard, hard work, not just for me, but for everyone who has helped me get here, most of all my mum, Elaine.

"She brought us up on her own and there has never been a lot of money about, so she has had to struggle to make sure I got the chances I have had.

"She gave me lifts at all hours every day to the gym in Huntingdon so I could train, and she made sure that she had enough money to help me out with little things when I was totally broke. She has been my inspiration. without her, I would not be here."

The press reports have not dwelt on the fact that mum-of-two Elaine has brought up Louis by herself (ably supported, of course, by her mum, Dilys).

Why should they? It's not something Louis or his mum will harp on about.

For Elaine, she has just been doing her job – that of dedicated and loving mum.

We (and that includes me) are quick to cast a stone when we hear some woeful, depressing, but all too familiar, tale of child abuse or parental neglect at the hands of a lone parent.

These cases spark, with predictable regularity, moral panics and national debates about the break-down of marriage and the sanctity of family values.

Isn't it nice to hear of a single parent success story right here on our doorstep?