LONDON – Great Britain doesn't like to be made fun of, and heading into these Olympic Games one of the primary concerns for the locals was not being embarrassed.
Following the extraordinary and lavish display of national pride that was Beijing, 2008 was going to be a difficult act to follow, and Londoners feared a calamity-ridden Games that would give the city and the country a black eye in front of the world.
Throw in the administrative hurdle of a global economic downturn, and London had plenty of factors stacked against it, but has managed to get to the finish line without any major issues.
[ Video: Why the London tabloids love the Olympians ]
As ever at the end of an Olympics, thoughts turn to how it stacks up against those that came before it. So how did London fare?
Crowds: B+
The ones that got in were terrific. Eighty thousand per night at track and field, swimming and boxing packed, basketball overloaded, even nearly 30,000 for dressage. The locals were into it,
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