Heather Fell, Olympic silver medallist, writes about her life in the media and sports world.

THE sound of our national anthem cannot fail to provoke that patriotic pride. As an athlete it was always a special moment to be on top of the podium reflecting on a winning performance.

I have not had that opportunity for a couple of years but I have just experienced something equally special as I led an incredibly successful young British team to the European Youth Olympic Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia.

A few months ago I was awarded the role of chef de mission for TeamGB’s youth team. This was a magnificent honour as well as a serious challenge. I was expected to lead a team of 71, including 44 athletes from the age of 13 to 17, through their preparation and the week of competition. We were one of the smaller delegations of the 50 participating nations, only fielding athletes for five of the nine sports on offer. However, we made up for that with quality, winning a total of 20 medals and finishing an impressive seventh place on the medal table.

As a member of the British Olympic Association Athletes Commission I was qualified to apply for the role, not expecting to even be called in for an interview. On accepting the honour I must admit I was slightly daunted by the challenge. I prepared myself as best as I possibly could and expected an incredibly tough 11 days in Tbilisi.

Admittedly, there were numerous challenges for the team but the forward planning and efficiency of TeamGB enabled the athletes to remain one 100 per cent focused on the task in hand.

It is only now that I can truly appreciate how much work creates a successful sporting event. I realise how spoilt I was as an athlete competing in Beijing and just how much TeamGB do behind the scenes in order to help the athletes deliver their best possible performances.