It is not a sight we are used to seeing: a nation with the largest contingent of athletes at the Games (some 594 are out in Paris – almost double the 327-strong Team GB team).

There is, of course, still time for Team USA to make up ground. The rest of the women’s gymnastics, where they are nailed-on for a few more bullions, is yet to be completed. By the start of next week, Simone Biles alone may have bagged four more as well as the individual all-around final crown she has already won in Paris, and they will inevitably pick up some much-needed bling in athletics.

Britain’s epic start to the Games has seen a treasure trove of heartwarming stories that have united a nation, like triathlete Alex Yee’s lung-busting sprint to overtake New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, only for the latter to drape his arm around his competitor in a wonderful show of sportsmanship after the finish line.

The sight of Britain’s women’s quad snatching victory from the jaws of their Dutch rivals by a mere whisker would have sent most heart-rate monitors spiking, while Nathan Hales’s breathtaking ability to keep his cool in the fierce Parisian heat as he stormed to gold in the men’s trap shooting was the stuff of dreams. 

And that’s without forgetting Britain’s 4×200 metre relay team heroically defending their title in the pool and Tom Pidcock’s astonishing performance in the men’s mountain biking to top the podium.

None of these efforts, though, seem to be reflected in the USA’s carefully drawn-up medal tables. The Olympic Games may only be a matter of days in, but already the medal count discourse has well and truly begun.