This Olympics belongs to the female athletes

You knew it was going to be a superb Olympics from the moment Celine Dion belted out an Edith Piaf classic from the Eiffel Tower. And nothing since has disappointed – not least commentator Mark Chapman having to say things like ‘She was late with her eskimo roll’ during the incomprehensible kayak cross. But amid such a banquet of sporting greatness, what to single out? This has been a fantastic Games for women. And remember that the founder of the Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, was opposed to the participation of female athletes, largely to preserve their dignity. Different times admittedly, but even so the 1500m became an event for women only in 1972, and the marathon only in 1984. Look what they’re achieving now.

There’s Keely Hodgkinson of course, electrifying in the 800m. Hodgkinson is now one of the world’s best-known athletes, and guaranteed the considerable rewards she so deserves. Like Kelly Holmes, Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram and Steve Ovett, she should be one of the legendary British middle-distance runners whose name is always on our lips.

The mixed 4x400m relay didn’t make its Olympic debut until Tokyo three years ago. All credit to the Games for reflecting the era’s spirit of inclusivity, which may or may not have gone too far with that boxer who has an overload of testosterone. But the relay produced one of this year’s great moments. Femke Bol is a tall, willowy multiple world champion, specialising in the 400m hurdles. It was her job to anchor the Dutch team in the tipping rain on Saturday. When she took the baton, the Dutch were fourth. Bol had an inconceivable amount of work to do but surged forward on the final bend, gradually overhauling her rivals before moving past the USA’s Kaylyn Brown in the last strides.