Honour Heroes Who Lifted Nation

‘Miracle of Tokyo’s our greatest achievement’

- Paul Jeeves and Martyn Brown

BRITAIN’S Olympic heroes have been lauded for their Tokyo triumphs with calls for all 65 of our medallists to receive gongs.

The success at the end of a year and a half of Covid gloom has raised the nation’s spirits, with the athletes’ feats being described as “the greatest achievement in British Olympic history”.

On the final day of glory, the team matched the London 2012 medal count, with golds for track cyclist Jason Kenny, 33 and boxer Lauren Price, 27.

Kenny, husband of fellow gold medal winner Laura, was described by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the “greatest British Olympian ever” following his keirin gold. He is the first Briton to win seven Olympic gold medals.

And multi-talented Lauren swapped her football boots for boxing gloves to become only the second female boxer from the UK to win gold as she was crowned middleweight champion.

It meant Team GB finished with 22 gold medals, 21 silvers and 22 bronzes, putting them fourth in the table behind the USA, China and Japan.

GB also won medals in 25 sports – more than any other country

There is now a clamour for gongs to be dished out in the New Year’s Honours. Team GB chef de mission Mark England said: “Not only has the team made history but it has probably made history on the back of the most challenging and difficult environment that we’ll face certainly in my lifetime.