MY abiding memory of being part of this wonderful festival of sport came on the day all attention was focused on Usain Bolt smashing his rivals to retain his 100-metre Olympic title.

But the athlete I will remember did not make headlines, yet she embodied the true Olympic Spirit. My wife, Diane, and I were on The Mall to watch the women’s marathon.

Sadly, there was no Paula Radcliffe – my wife’s hero – and the two British girls who finished the course did creditably, but well outside the medals.

But there was no sense of it being an anticlimax despite us being caught in an Armageddon-like storm. We were soaked by the time the athletes passed us the first time, but we dried out and had forgotten the rain as we waited for Irish athlete Catriona Jennings to finish.

We did not know it at the time but Jennings had suffered a foot injury early in the race and limped around central London. She was miles behind the second last runner to finish and almost one hour adrift of the Ethiopian winner.

But the crowd on The Mall stayed on and cheered, applauded and banged the barriers on both sides of the road as she limped past us, obviously every step causing her searing pain.

She collapsed into the arms of her coach after crossing the line, but by then she wasn’t the only one in tears.

Jennings was not a loser that day. Far from it. She was a winner – a true Olympic athlete.

Mike Tyas, Keble Close, Bishopthorpe .