Observant British Television readers may have noticed that I am not a big sports fan. Sweaty men chasing, throwing or hitting their balls just doesn’t do it for me. But every four years, I find myself absolutely transfixed by the Olympics. It’s not so much the sports, although it is interesting to see sports other than football, rugby and cricket getting some TV coverage. It’s the personal stories behind the medals that attract me, like the plucky boxer from an obscure, tiny country, suddenly thrust into the limelight to compete with world champions and usually getting a pounding for their efforts. I’ll scream myself hoarse for the gymnast who bravely overcomes a shoulder injury, only to rip his arm half off during his punishing routine on the rings. It’s like reality television at its tearful, joyful, agonising best.

This year, the Olympics are especially exciting as the performance of Team GB will hopefully be an indicator of what we can expect in 2012, when Britain will host the Olympic Games for the first time since 1948. At the time of writing, we are 10 days into the event, and Britain is currently third in the overall medal table, with China riding high in first place and the USA in second. Australia are just behind Team GB in fourth place, with Germany in fifth and the next few days will no doubt be exciting ones for all of the top 5 countries.

Here’s the rundown of British medals so far:-

Gold

Track Cycling - Individual Pursuit (Women’s - Rebecca Romero & Men’s - Bradley Wiggins)
Track Cycling - Team Sprint (Jason Kenny, Chris Hoy, Jamie Staff)
Track Cycling – Team Pursuit (Edward Clancy, Paul Manning, Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins)
Track Cycling – Keirin (Chris Hoy)
Road Cycling – Mass start (Nicole Cooke)
Swimming – 400m Freestyle (Rebecca Adlington)
Swimming – 800m Freestyle (Rebecca Adlington)
Rowing – Fours (Peter Reed, Tom James, Andy Triggs-Hodge, Steve Williams)
Rowing – Double scull (lightweight) (Zac Purchase, Mark Hunter)
Sailing – Single-handed Dinghy (Finn) (Ben Ainslie)
Sailing – Keelboat (Yngling) (Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb, Pippa Wilson)

Silver

Slalom – C1 (Canoe single) (David Florence)
Track Cycling – Individual Pursuit (Wendy Houvenaghel)
Road Cycling – Individual Time Trial (Emma Pooley)
Rowing – Quadruple Scull (Deborah Flood, Katherine Grainger, Frances Houghton, Annie Vernon)
Rowing – Eights (Richard Egington, Alastair Heathcote, Matthew Langridge, Tom Lucy, Acer Nethercott, Alex Partridge, Colin Smith, Tom Stallard, Josh West)
Track Cycling – Keirin (Ross Edgar)

Bronze

Track Cycling – Individual Pursuit (Steven Burke)
Track Cycling – Points Race (Chris Newton)
Swimming – 400m Freestyle (Joanne Jackson)
Equestrian Eventing - Team Competition (Tina Cook, Daisy Dick, William Fox-Pitt, Sharon Hunt, Mary King)
Equestrian Eventing – Individual Competition (Tina Cook)
Artistic Gymnastics – Pommel Horse (Louis Smith)
Rowing – Double Scull (Women’s - Anna Bebington, Elise Laverick & Men’s – Stephen Rowbotham, Matthew Wells)

Not a bad haul, eh? Special mention has to go to our team GB gymnasts, both the (very hot) Louis Smith, who claimed the first British individual gymnastics medal since 1908 and to the terrifyingly bendy Beth Tweddle, who was an agonising 0.25 points away from taking the bronze.

Well done team GB, and here’s to many more!