Britain is now "a sporting superpower", declared one of the prime architects of its stunning success at the Rio Olympics on Sunday.
"Team GB" was placed second in the medals table, above traditional Olympic powerhouse China, with 27 gold medals and 66 in total going into the final hours of the 2016 Games.
UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl said: "To win more medals than we did in London and to be ahead of China is a spectacular place to be."
"We are one of those sporting superpowers now," a beaming Nicholl told a press conference at the Olympic village.
National lottery funding has transformed Britain's sporting fortunes.
"As of today (Sunday) since lottery funding came on board Britain has won 699 medals," Nicholls noted.
"That will be 700 medals won since national lottery funding came on board with Joe (Joyce, the British boxer guaranteed at least superheavyweight silver later Sunday)."
Nicholls added: "There's been success in breadth and depth, more sports (are winning medals) and more athletes than in London.
"How has this happened? Though the lottery, vital resources have fuelled our success from Sydney right through to Rio.
"We've made sporting history - 67 medals, nearly 130 medallists across 19 sports compared to 17 in London.
It's outstanding, even sporting superpowers haven't increased their performances, we are one of those now."
But the remarkable run of results in Rio will be hard to replicate in Tokyo in 2020, warned British Olympic chief Bill Sweeney.
"Tokyo will be tougher than Rio," Sweeney told reporters.
"At Tokyo the domestic team will be much stronger than here, and the Chinese team will be desperate to make a strong statement in Tokyo on their doorstep.
"And Australia won't lie down, they'll come back stronger. There'll be a full Russian delegation there too.
"It'll be a very tough Games, more of a level playing ground."
Rio 2016: Team Great Britain Hailed as "Sporting Superpower" After Record Run
Advertisement
Team Great Britain, who ended up in second position in the overall medals tally in 2016 Rio Olympics, have been termed a "sporting superpower" by the country's sports chief executive.
Team Great Britain won 27 gold medals and finished second in the overall medals tally.© AFP
Highlights
-
Team Great Britain finished second in the medals table
-
Team Great Britain won 27 gold medals
-
This was Team GB's best performance in Olympics