This is the proud headline in Today's Toronto Star

The paper points out that we have currently won more womens medals than any other country including Germany and Russia. Of course even one bronze would have topped those won by genuine Russian or German women back in the 1970's but that's a different story

Cindy Klassen accounts for a remarkable four but nice girl that she is, there is no gainsaying the fact that they practically give away a speed skating medal with every jumbo pack of Cheerios

And the women's victory in the hockey was only gained on the back of enormous funding enabling the team to train together for most of the past year

The corollary of the women's success - which the Star seems to be reluctant to face - is the men's failure. The five they have picked up to date means we rank with behomeths of the ice world like South Korea! And it's not as though it was the elite events in which our men have come through. The dubious new judging system favoured Buttle enough to gain him a bronze in the men's figure skating but otherwise it was team pursuit; bobsleigh; and two in the skeleton (whatever that is)

All would have been saved if we had won the men's hockey but our ignominious defeat in the quarter-finals means these Olympics will be regarded as a failure. Our team managed to score less than Tony Valeri in a nunnery. It is not even as if we are being shown up by countries with a bigger population like the USA, or the old Soviet Red Army machine. Nope Finland, population 5 million is creaming us

Roll on Vancouver