As someone who grew up in the 1990s, it seems almost hubristic that some treat Team GB’s Paris performance as a cause for concern. The team and those behind it might be disappointed with just 14 gold medals, but the overall haul remains impressive – especially when considering where the push for Olympic success started a couple of decades ago.
At the 1996 games, Britain picked up a single gold medal. They avoided abject humiliation and their first-ever gold-less games by just half a length in the men’s pair. Since then, British Olympic support has been transformed. The country has become a dominant power in several sports and is now a medal-generating machine. The decline through the 80s and 90s has been replaced with a golden era. Indeed, in the three Olympics from 2012 to 2021, the Trott-Kenny household won more golds than the entire country managed through Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta.
A transformation like that is no accident. It is the result of years, decades now, of perfectly executed strategy. Though the country had rum luck in some of the closest finishes this time, that we are smarting at scoring 65 total medals points to the success and determination of our approach. With so much of the rest of Britain in the doldrums, it is worth wondering what might transfer the same spirit and success to our economy, housebuilding, or public services.
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