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Comparisons will inevitably be drawn in the coming days between the Olympics and Paralympics. The country was so captivated by the 17 magical days of the Olympics that they are clearly going to be a tough act to follow.

But, as Paralympics chief Seb Coe told me on Wednesday, the two events are all part of the same extraordinary summer of sport. They are not in competition with each other and, over the next 11 days people, will be just as amazed by the exploits of Oscar Pistorius, Ellie Simmonds and David Weir as they were by Mo Farah, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.

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Turn the clock back five weeks ago and the 91Èȱ¬ One late-night bulletin was already leading on the Olympics.

But it wasn't the sort of story we've become used to over the last 16 days of breathtaking sport. The fall out from the G4S security shambles was still playing big and ministers and organisers were scrambling to find a solution.

Re-watching the news from that Sunday night is like being transported to another time.

That's not to say the failure of G4S to recruit and train the required number of security guards wasn't a story. It was. The extra reliance of the military in plugging the gap has been one of the best features of London's Games.

What the story reflected was the heightened anxiety London, the media and the country were feeling as the Olympics approached. After seven years of build-up, the level of international pressure on Britain was intense.

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Amid all the talk of Great Britain's gold rush, it's been easy to overlook the fierce battle going on at the top of the Olympic medals table.
The United States and China are locked in a struggle for sporting supremacy and with only three days of competition left it's set to go to the wire.

Four years ago in Beijing the world's most populous nation finished first for the first time in history with 51 golds, the US some way behind with 36. Americans hoped this might be a one-off inspired by the Chinese playing host to the Games.

Four years on in London it's clear that hope was in vain. Unlike the rest of the world (and crucially the International Olympic Committee), the US counts overall medals and not golds as the true measure of sporting success. The problem for America is that China are even closing in on that too.

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Nearly every Olympic Games is accompanied by a lengthy, fretful build-up followed by an explosion of the sporting senses.

London 2012 has been no different.

The sport has been simply compelling and after an anxious four day wait for their first gold, Team GB now look well set to deliver on their target of fourth place in the medal table.

All the gold medallists have had extraordinary stories to tell - from the shooter Peter Wilson, coached by a member of the Dubai royal family - to Britain's first winners here, Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who won the women's pair in rowing despite Glover having only taken up the sport in 2008.

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