Congratulations to John McCririck — the first Briton in 2012 to claim Olympic gold. It’s a big achievement for the 71-year-old racing pundit and a massive early boost for Team GB, in an event (talking about the chances of Uncle Nobby’s Biscuit Tin in the Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle) in which medals were not necessarily expected.
Hang on: my mistake. That thing around McCririck’s neck isn’t a medal at all, is it? It’s a bootlace tie clasp — a really big one. Look more closely at the engraving on that gold disc — a horse’s head, just short of life-size. Olympic medals don’t have that, to the best of our knowledge. Not even the equestrian ones. Damn.
Still, if ever a medallion deserved a medal