Laura Kenny helped bring the curtain down on the Olympics as she led in the British team at a reflective Closing Ceremony in Tokyo.
Kenny was the perfect choice of Team GB flagbearer after a Games when she secured her fifth career gold - making her the most successful British woman in Olympic history and the first to top the podium at three consecutive Games.
And remember these Games saw more woman than men compete in red, white and blue for Team GB for the first time ever.
The British team said arigatō and sayōnara to our Olympic hosts after a Games to remember.
In a golden Olympic era, Tokyo 2020 was pretty special.#TeamGB #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/CS2lH8nnoz
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 8, 2021
They secured 65 medals, the same number as London 2012, made up of 22 golds, 21 silvers and 22 bronzes, good enough for fourth place in the medal table behind the USA, China and host nation Japan.
What started with Chelsie Giles's judo bronze ended with Lauren Price's boxing gold, in between there were medals in more sports than any other nation.
From the high seas of Sagami Bay to rarefied hills above Izu and all points in between, British athletes delivered in this Games like no other.
“The past 18 months have been tough for everyone, and I really hope me and my Team GB team-mates have given the nation something to celebrate," said Kenny.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in that I am now Britain’s most successful female athlete, all I know is that I’ve worked so hard to be here and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, friends and everyone at British Cycling."
Wearing navy chino shorts and a white polo shirt, designed exclusively by iconic British fashion brand Ben Sherman and inspired by the 1964 Tokyo Games, Kenny had a day to remember in Tokyo.
She crashed in the defence of her omnium title and then saw husband Jason become the most successful British Olympian of all-time, with his ninth medal and seventh gold.
IOC President Thomas Bach thanked Tokyo for their efforts to stage the Games, after a preparation like no other, with a one-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And the Olympic flag was officially handed to Paris, who will become the second city to host the Games three times after London - their opening ceremony now just 1,082 days away.
“It’s been against all odds and it’s been the miracle of Tokyo,” said Team GB chef de mission Mark England.
“We wanted to make Britain proud and we knew one of the ways we could do that was how our athletes respected the local population and they absolutely did that.”
UK Sport chair Dame Katherine Grainger hailed Team GB as 'trailblazers' and paid tribute to the performances and advocacy of Adam Peaty, Tom Daley and Hannah Mills.
“I really think they have just set new standards, in so many different ways, and burned their names into Olympic history in ways we didn’t expect," she said.
“This team have gone above and beyond their own sport. We have got the most memorable role models and people who speak out on issues close to their heart."