The most romantic story of the Olympics was almost saved until the very end. The 302nd and last gold medal to be won was in handball, the gymnasium game ignored by Anglophones. And in the final were Iceland, who had never won an Olympic gold medal, not even at the winter version.

Alas, they still haven’t. They were beaten 28-23 by France, whose supporters (mostly exuberant team-mates who had finished their business) were belting out La Marseillaise long before the end.