麻豆社

Great Britain's end of Games report from the Beijing Paralympics makes for satisfactory reading.

The team was the best-prepared to have gone to a Games and had benefited hugely from National Lottery cash.

Pre-Games, ParalympicsGB chief Phil Lane had said publicly that the team would be scrapping for top-three in the medals table and were hoping for 35-40 golds - although UK Sport had set a slightly more ambitious target of 112 medals.

In the end , eight more than in Athens four years ago, with 42 golds, compared to 35 last time. They held off the challenge of the US, a fast-improving Ukraine, and Australia, to finish second in the table.

The hosts were always going to dominate the medal standings. China came away with 210 medals and their chef de mission, Wang Xinxian, has promised they will be preparing for 2012.

But the British team can be proud of their performance in the face of some strong competition, and they too can look forward to a spectacular home Games in four years' time.

It was no surprise that three sports which work closely with their able-bodied versions - cycling, rowing and equestrian - enjoyed a lot of success in Beijing.

The cycling team came back with 17 golds out of a total of 20 medals thanks to , both at the Laoshan Velodrome and then out on the road.

The team learned the lessons from the Olympic team's Beijing exploits and it proved a huge advantage. Whether it was learning about the quirks of the velodrome or what home comforts were missing, nothing was left to chance.

The Olympic team also had a direct impact on double gold medallist Simon Richardson, whose bike was made using Jason Queally's frame and Chris Hoy's handlebars.

That was added to the technological advances the Paralympic team benefited from, including parity across the board in funding, equipment and racing wear like skin suits and helmets.

Coach Chris Furber was quick to hail the Paralympic success as a team effort.

"The support we have had from British Cycling has been invaluable and it is the model that will be copied, I hope, by other sports," he told me.

"It feels like we have got it right. Everyone is pulling in the same direction and working together. There is also a great backroom staff to make a Games like this happen."

led the haul with four golds and a silver but each member of the team came away with a gold or silver as they dominated all of their events, breaking records for fun.

Swimming too hit its target of 41 medals, with matching Tanni Grey-Thompson's record of 11 golds thanks to his three individual and one relay gold.

The only downside for Roberts was the discovery, during the Games, that swimmer Mike Kenny had won 16 gold medals in the 70s and 80s - when record-keeping was less precise than now.

It means Kenny is Britain's most successful Paralympian, but Roberts can still be proud of his achievements in the modern era.

There were disappointments too. Sports like table tennis, sailing and powerlifting failed to deliver medals - sailing for the second Games in a row.

Athletics too had mixed fortunes with the team finishing with 17 medals, but only two golds, both from David Weir.

The controversial protests and exposed certain flaws in the system and the classification issue surrounding young Welsh thrower also left a sour taste.

Although mistakes can happen, it is something that must not happen again if the Paralympic movement is to be taken seriously.

But with a young team in Beijing and more than half the squad making their debut, ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane was highly satisfied with the performance of his squad.

"I think the team has done well overall in what has been a tough Games for us and our competitors, and we have had to work hard to reach targets," he said.

"The US weren't far behind us and to hold them off as we did shows the spirit in the camp. It has lifted us."

However, with the huge challenge of London 2012 approaching, nobody can afford to take their Beijing achievements for granted. The level of competition is rising with each Games and Great Britain will need to lift their standards with the pressure of a home crowd roaring them on in four years' time.

Lane added: "We are never complacent about our achievements. We are happy at the moment because we have done what we set out to achieve, and if we can perform there as we perform here we can be proud.

"Nobody will sit down and take a holiday for six weeks before our sports start working on 2012. In some cases the work has started already but for others it starts here and now."

What of the organisation? The Chinese had promised a Games of equal splendour to the Olympics and they certainly delivered.

The crowds (which had been one area of concern beforehand) came out in force, venues were packed and, despite not being familiar with disability sport, they loudly cheered on their fellow countrymen.

The venues were spectacular - especially the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest - the organisation was top-notch, and the volunteers were relentlessly cheery, despite a slight language barrier. International Paralympic Committee president Sir Phil Craven appreciated the efforts of the Chinese organising committee.

London has plenty to live up to. But, in a country where disability sport has a strong support base and there are plenty of sports fanatics, I'm already looking forward to the opening ceremony on 29 August 2012.