The Beijing Olympics should be remembered as the Games when Britain’s women led the way. At one stage in the first week, they were carrying the men, with gold medals for Nicole Cooke and Rebecca Adlington and other medals for Tina Cook, Joanne Jackson and Emma Pooley. Victoria Pendleton, the Yngling girls and Christine Ohuruogu, gold medal-winners all, are inspirational figures.

This is so important. Teenage girls, the group that is the least likely to do much sport, need role models to inspire them to get out there and try sport themselves. The fantastic achievements by our women athletes will, I hope, be the legacy of this Games: that British girls and women see what they have done and decide that they want to do the same.

There were so many inspiring stories. Take Rebecca Romero in the cycling, who showed that even if you fall out of love with one sport, you can still succeed in another. Or Shanaze Reade on the BMX, whom I was really rooting for. She has taken a lot of stick for risking her silver medal and crashing out, but she told me that she would not have been happy with only the silver. That says a lot about her. So does the fact that she told me she is going to win three golds in 2012.

We knew all about Paula Radcliffe’s class and determination, but her decision to run so soon after a bad injury tells you everything you need to know about her, even though she didn’t win a medal. She was absolutely right to give it a go. It is what sport is all about. The worst thing that an athlete can say is “what if?” I know that myself: in 1996 I got a stress fracture shortly before the Atlanta Games, but was worried that this might be my only Olympic chance so I had an injection in the bone to help me run. I came fourth in the 800m, pipped on the line, and spent a long time on crutches afterwards but at least I never said “what if?”

If I hadn’t won my two gold medals in Athens, I might have been feeling itchy watching the athletics in the stadium this year. But I don’t have any unfinished business now, so I was able to enjoy my first Olympics as a spectator. Some old habits never die, however, and I did find myself looking for the British flag as I entered the stadium, which I always used to do as a competitor. It was reassuring to see it.

My seat in the stadium was on the home stretch, directly opposite where the medals were presented. Out of everything about competing in the Olympics, I wish I could have that feeling of standing on the podium again. But I couldn’t face the training now.

It did mean that I was able to enjoy Ohuruogu’s triumph. It was the big lift that British athletics needed, because for all the qualifiers for finals and personal bests, this was a slightly disappointing Olympics for the athletics team. But Christine was wonderful. You could see her getting stronger and more confident as she came through the heats and as she ran round the final bend she kept her head, while Sanya Richards didn’t, and powered through from fifth place in the final 100 metres.

I was aware of the buzz from the Brits in the crowd. I’m not sure that there were as many British supporters in Beijing as there were in Athens, where the Union Jack seemed to be everywhere you looked, but they made up for it with their noise.

It was great that I was able to see other sport away from the main stadium. In 2000, I was given an hour off training and decided to go and watch Kate Howey in the judo, but generally I never was able to watch other sports when I was a competitor. This time I went to watch the triathlon, cycling, volleyball, which I used to play in the Army, and the final of the women’s basketball.

It was a great Games and Britain’s success was followed a couple of weeks later by even more medals in the Paralympics. I love seeing the determination, passion and pride of our Paralympic athletes and it is astounding that we have won more than 100 medals. What a great effort. Among the brilliant stories, the one that stood out for me was Eleanor Simmonds in the swimming. She is only 13 and has won two gold medals. The smile on her face was amazing when she received them.

I think it is a great shame that the Paralympics cannot take place at the same time as the Olympics. I know there would be logistical problems, but these athletes train just as hard, have as much talent and care just as much about success and failure. They should be given the same stage at the same time.

The events of Beijing 2008 in both the Olympics and Paralympics should make us all feel proud to be British. Let hope it bodes well for more success in 2012.