I jumped into the air when I heard London had won the 2012 Olympics.

It’s great news for London, for sport and for the Olympics. I’m sure Paris would have staged a great games, but no other place touches London for its richness and for its passion about sport. And I have to say I was very pleased that Jacques Chirac received another comeupance.

It has already become a cliche to remark that Sebastian Coe led the London bid the way he used to run his race, coming from behind on the final turn. But I heard Olympic silver medallist Roger Black say something more meaningful on the radio coverage of the news. “In every sporting contest,” he said, “there is of course someone who wins. But there’s also someone who manages to lose. I often found that I could beat people who were more worried about losing than determined to win.”

Perhaps this will be the jolt all the many grumblers in Britain need to finally stop moaning about everything.