GREAT BRITAIN

FINALLY, finally, finally. Britain is officially GREAT.

For once, not broken Britain, not binge Britain, not beaten Britain. Great Britain.

On the country’s finest sporting weekend, the Union Jack flew over all corners of Beijing as the cyclists, the rowers, the sailors and swimmer Rebecca Adlington collected a stunning EIGHT gold medals at the 2008 Olympics.

And the golden glory continued on Monday with the GB men’s Pursuit team smashing the world record. The quartet of Paul Manning, Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy and Geraint Thomas finished the 4000m event in three minutes, 53.314 seconds.

Their triumph came after a weekend where Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson sailed to success in the Yngling regatta, rowers Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter stormed to a gold medal in the lightweight double sculls.

The jubilation went on as sailing great Ben Ainslie clinched a gold medal for the third consecutive games before Rebecca Romero - a rowing silver medallist in 2004 - wrote her name into history by winning her cycling final.

In what amounted to a two-horse race for the gold against the Netherlands in the Yngling sailing class, Team GB came home in first place for the first time in the regatta.

Sarah Webb, who also won a gold in Athens four years ago, said she was speechless. The 31-year-old, from Weybridge, Surrey, said: “I’m lost for words, it is such a relief. Our experience was everything, we stayed sure and we got better.”

It was also a repeat success for Sarah Ayton, 28, from Ashford, Middlesex. She added: “It’s been brilliant, this campaign has been about pure perfection and we’re just an awesome team.”

The success on the water continued shortly after as Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase lived up to their billing as favourites for top spot.

Roared on by the crowd, Purchase, 22, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Hunter beat world silver medallists Greece by half a length, with world champions Denmark third.

Hunter’s father, Terry, watched in tears from the sidelines as his 30-year-old son raced home.

Mr Hunter, from London, told BBC Sport: “He has worked for this for 15 years - since he was aged 15.

“I remember him getting his first international shirt - now he has a gold.”

Within half-an-hour Britain completed their memorable treble when Ainslie, 31, from Macclesfield, thrashed the opposition in his race.

Ainslie, who first won a medal in Atlanta in 1996, said his parents were at home watching on television.

“It is a shame they were weren’t here but huge thanks to them,” he told the BBC.

He said he hoped to bid for another medal at London 2012.

History was then made at the Laoshan Velodrome when Romero became the first British woman to be presented with Olympic medals in two separate sports.

After beating fellow Briton Wendy Houvenaghel in the women’s 3km pursuit, she said: “I just want to say to my mum, my sister and my aunt - I did it!

“Victory does not feel like I imagined but it is magical.”

She paid tribute to the women’s rowers who were deprived of a gold shortly before her race got under way.

A brace of gold medals had already been lowered over proud heads earlier on Saturday.

Swimmer Rebecca Adlington touched the wall in Beijing's Water Cube pool in world record time to become only the first Brit to win two swimming gold medals at a single Games.

Rowing men’s fours of Steve Williams, Tom James, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge powered past Australia in the final 100 metres to keep our iron grip on the event.

Cyclist Bradley Wiggins nonchalantly despatches Kiwi Hayden Roulston to win the retain his individual pursuit title and Chris Hoy swaggered to an imperious triumph in the keirin — his second gold in 24 hours.

Only July 30, 1966, when Bobby Moore hoisted the Jules Rimet Trophy into a London sky, can rival this weekend for our sporting nation.

In fact, Sebastian Coe was guilty of understatement last when he said on Saturday: “Team GB can be extraordinarily proud today. What an amazing result, our best medal haul in a century. Congratulations to those whose hard work has paid off in such a spectacular way.”