It’s a very British thing to say but we’re doing a bit too well in the Olympics for my liking.

Or maybe it’s not a very British thing to say any more, as we’ve now become a nation of ruthless winners who expect nothing less than to dominate the medal table in the same way as the Soviet Union in 1980.

This so-called ‘gold rush’ has been going on for years and, frankly, it’s really not on. Whatever happened to our status as plucky underdogs, built so painstakingly over the years?

The fact that we’re anywhere near the USA in the medal table should ring alarm bells to anyone who cares about our country.

We’re still in a slightly confused national mindset that treats winning a gold medal as a rare thing, when it’s actually reached the point where you can miss half a dozen ‘Team GB’ victories if you pop upstairs to run a bath.

Not to take anything away from the athletes, who are making the most of the opportunities they’re given in a world of sporting haves and have-nots. National Lottery funding will cater to the every whim of those who have a fighting chance of striking gold at the Games. Less so those whose chances look slim.

Make the grade and expect to be carried around in a sedan chair for four years and enjoy the services of the best coaches, sports scientists and nutritionists. If not, you’re living on tinned beans in a squat and trying to fit in some training around your busking schedule, in the vain hope a bronze medal might change your fortunes.

Maybe this giddy level of sporting success speaks to our priorities as a country. Our national infrastructure may be crumbling around us but try getting anywhere near us in the men’s coxless fours.

In the 1996 Olympics, Great Britain won one gold medal (rowers Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave) in what was described as the ‘rock bottom’ of British performance. Those were the days.

The subsequent soul-searching, a massive injection of cash and the creation of ‘Team GB’ helped us on the journey to becoming the European equivalent of China. Well done to everyone involved and all that but some of us would be just as happy to see a 90s revival.