Olympic diary

British sprinter Abi Oyepitan aimed a cheeky taunt at Maurice Greene after Britain’s 4x100metres relay quartet had pulled off a stunning victory over the USA.

Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis stunned the reigning Olympic champions, who had boasted they would break the world record, by pipping them for the gold medal.

Lewis-Francis just held off Greene on the anchor leg and the British quartet set off on their victory lap.

The beaten USA four, consisting of 200metres champion Shawn Crawford, 100metres champion Justin Gatlin, Coby Miller and 100m bronze medallist Greene, also did a lap of honour.

Oyepitan was watching from the front row seats in the stands and, as Greene trotted by waving the Stars and Stripes, she pointed to the Union Jack she was waving and shouted: “Nah mate, you don’t want one of those....you want one of these.”

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How fitting that Kelly Holmes has been handed the honour of carrying the flag for the British team in tonight’s closing ceremony.

Holmes has been the brightest star in the British team during this Athens Games.

Before the Olympics got underway all the talk was of Paula Radcliffe being the sole gold medal track and field hope for Britain.

But 34-year-old Holmes, who has been bedevilled by a succession of injuries during her career, found the form of her life to claim an amazing middle distance gold medal double in the 800metres and 1500m.

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IOC president Jacques Rogge was fulsome in his praise of the Greek hosts for XXVIII Olympiad in his closing briefing of the Games.

“I’m an extremely happy president of the IOC,” said Rogge. “We always expressed our confidence in our Greek friends and I think they have delivered in Athens in a very splendid way.”

But Rogge did add that unlike his predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch, he will not consider calling the Athens Games the “best ever.”

“The Olympic Games is a competition between athletes,” he said. “It’s not a competition between organising committees.”