As I type this, I should probably be wearing a pair of those cheesy Olympic-five-ring sunglasses, with a fake Union Jack tattoo on my ankle and a cuddly Wenlock tucked under my arm. I'm not, for the record, having just about got my love affair with London 2012 in check, but it's been something of a head vs heart battle... week two of the greatest Olympic games ever (they are, I don't care if it's not cool to say it) has been as brilliant as the first.

While Jess sent Sheffield into a riot of fluttering Union Jacks and gold accessories on Friday, hundreds of miles away, three young women paid for their beliefs and courage with a trio of harsh two-year jail sentences handed down by a Russian court. No matter how you look at it, or whichever event has piqued your interest this August, one thing is not in doubt: the summer of 2012 is providing plenty of likely candidates to inspire the next generation.