What an inspiration he has been since coming to the Rhinos in 2005.

In my opinion Gaz has been the best back rower in Super League for a few years now and his actions in the last four years will provide a lasting inspiration for me long after he gets on the plane to Australia.

Having seen the physical and aggressive manor in which he plays, it may be surprising to hear that Gaz is one of the calmest characters I know.

The strange thing is that whilst most players have split personalities for the purpose of living life and playing games, Gareth seems to remain calm and placid in all situations despite his fame for consistent ferocity.

Like the transition to rugby union, few rugby league players have made a successful switch to the NRL in Australia – Adrian Morley been the most significant in the modern day – but if I could bet big on Gaz doing it, then I would.

During the pre-season training camp in Jacksonville earlier this year the South Sydney Rabitohs thought they were the premiere team on the trip.

The partnership between the clubs was fantastic but the tongue-in-cheek rivalry between the players made it feel more like Rod Hull and Emu – and our feathers became more than ruffled.

That was until we kicked off the game at the University of North Florida and Gaz battered them into a first half submission.

Gareth was a huge inspiration for me in that game particularly and it was then I realised that he wouldn't just compete in the NRL, he would go there and kill it.

The sceptics would say the Rabitohs are not the biggest adversaries in the NRL and listening to the banter in the World Club Challenge, the Melbourne players thought the same.

Imagine packing down with likes of Leuluai, Diskin, Peacock, Ellis and Sinfield at the side of you whilst listening to the cheek of the opposition talk us all down and try and treat us like a group of insignificant kids.

Again, that was until we broke the 800 tackle record and beat them at their own game.

Don't get me wrong, the NRL is an immense place to be and the Aussies are right to regard it as an immense competition but woe betide any of them who underestimates Gareth Ellis, because Gaz is truly an immense player.

****

Never before have I been so happy at being so wrong when I predicted Usain Bolt to get a silver in the 100m final.

Not only did he win gold, he won it in a style that would have beaten any performer, from any time in history, despite celebrating with a good 30m still to go in the race.

The experts previously said that 6ft was the physiological limit for 100m runners, suggesting that taller athletes would never get a good enough start. Well this guy has proven them all wrong.

He has got the start and has got the leg speed to complement his enormous stride length.

Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile is still an old story for motivational speakers but his history-making example still rings true.

Medical experts said it would kill a human being to run the mile in under four minutes and until he proved them wrong everyone believed it.

Not long after Bannister's achievements the four minute mile became a regular occurrence for elite athletes because their mindsets where changed by Bannister and the impossible was proved quite possible.

Now that 9.69 100m and 19.30 200m has been breached by an athlete with "impossible physiology" I wonder who where and when the next athlete will take on mission impossible and take us to the next level.

IT is our highest gold total since 1908, when incidentally Britain hosted the Olympics and had up to a third of the competitors in each event and sometimes the whole field.

It is a truly remarkable achievement and restores some much-needed national pride to our great country.

This success is in no small part thanks to the British cycling team and their national governing body.

Their performance has provided us with eight golds, four silvers, and two bronzes and produced iconic figures in Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero.

Their success is no fluke either; it's not entirely down to the introduction of a new cycle path on Armley Gyratory or the 20 per cent off at Halfords this summer. It is a specific well thought out development plan with most importantly significant funding from UK Sport.

This funding has been important in introducing specialists in nutrition and psychology and allowed the GB team to be at the cutting edge in terms of technology.

In 1996 British Cycling was at an all time low.

They could not afford to send officials to major championships; their riders had to return tracksuits after competitions and their bikes had stabilisers on with pink ribbons and a little bell (well maybe not that bad).

The hope now is that this success will encourage people to become more active and take up a healthy lifestyle.

It is, however, a precarious situation, the more we succeed in elite sport the more funding we put into it. This is fantastic for the mood of the nation and our reputation around the globe. It is fantastic for all those talented youngsters who may now get channelled into a brilliant sport.

Yet will this success encourage our youngsters who don't like sport and who aren't competitive to become active in some way? Will the money we spend on elite sport find a way somehow to benefit our children that are not as talented at sport and will never compete in the Olympics? I hope so.

One thing that is sure to maintain our newly-acquired national pride is a healthy nation, a nation that is active and confident.

I am all for a game on the old Xbox but everything in small doses as my nana says.

That is the legacy I am hoping for from these Olympic games.