HOW wonderful for our country at Team GB’s incredible success at the Rio 2016 Olympic games.

For the past three weeks we have been captivated as the tally of medals just kept rising - above the likes of China and Russia - to put us second with gold medals.

To think 20 years ago we only won one in Atlanta.

Team GB’s success has lifted our country’s spirits, when the summer was dominated by atrocities in Europe and politics in the UK, by the ill feeling - particularly over Brexit and all the ridiculous scaremongering and sense of doom and gloom.

How great to get away from all that and to share the agony and ecstasy of events at human level and the pursuit of excellence - to be the best sportsperson in the world.

To be rewarded, particularly with a gold, must be so profound when it verifies all the years of sacrifice and dedication that the individual has endured.

And Yorkshire has, as we would hope and expect, it’s share of illustrious gold winners.

The effervescent Nicola Adams (also given the honour as first off the BA 2016 flight), Alistair Brownlee, Jack Laugher and Ed Clancy.

Maybe this is the start of proving that as a nation we can achieve great things again, and feel a sense of pride in waving the flag.

Keith Massey, Bishopthorpe, York