Final thoughts on the Olympic Games

One last word on the most successful Olympics for Britain in a century.

After a good day for Britain my young son said "Daddy, wasn't it lucky that we won those four gold medals"

As I told him, luck had very little to do with it. Those who won medals did so from years of hard work on the part of the athletes and their trainers, and a determination to win.

Lessons there for the next games in London, and indeed generally. As Jack Niclaus once told a friend who described a successful put as "lucky"

"And you know what? The harder I practice, the luckier I get."

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