TEAM GB has enjoyed its best ever start to an Olympics, winning 13 medals in the first four days.

It is splendid. It boosts the morale of those at home, and also boosts the image of the country abroad.

In fact, we’re going to have to guard against becoming over-confident. Commentators are regularly saying how “gutted” – the go-to word of the moment – an athlete is if they “only” win silver or bronze having “failed” to take gold.

The success of Team GB is a reward for so many young people’s remorseless dedication to their sport. They are usually backed by incredibly supportive and self-sacrificing families, and assisted by committed coaches.

It is also no coincidence that our Olympic success in the 21st Century has come when, through Lottery money, we have invested in our athletes.

Similarly, the England football team’s transformation into semi-finalists and finalists is down to hard work and quite a bit of luck, but it has also coincided with the Football Association becoming truly professional at its £105m St George’s Park headquarters.

So hard work plus raw talent plus investment equals success.

Perhaps one day, we might be in a position to similarly invest in our education system. Perhaps then we’d have all the world-leading doctors and nurses that we need, instead of importing from abroad. But instead, we haven’t even found the millions that our young people need to catch up after Covid letalone give them a supercharged springboard to success.