So the Empire finally struck back.

And we’re not happy about it.

If there was one thing Aussies could count on at the Olympics, it was that we were better than the Brits.

It made us feel good that Australia, the nation formed by England’s losers and rejects, not only trounced the motherland in cricket, rugby and league, we also smashed them on the world stage once every four years.

And then this year the established plan fell to bits.

God Save the Queen was heard five times more than Advance Australia Fair.

And it was played in events, like the cycling, where we had all but banked our expected gold.

They even claimed one in the pool.

Not only did they come out hard and strong, they also took our place in the top five.

Great Britain finished fourth on the medal tally, two spots above us.

And it turns out that Australia is not so good at losing.

Like spoilt children denied a sweet from an over-bearing aunty who only visits every now and then, we threw a tantrum.

If it was the playground, we would have taken our ball and gone home.

The media began to decry the money GB was spending on their athletes and calls came from the masses to prop up our own spending.

When one of our athletes looked back and saw second or third next to their name instead of first, as we had expected, we moaned in disappointment and vented our rage on online blog sites.

We watched our cyclists struggle for words to explain their loss to those wearing the Union Jack patch.

And now we have turned fearful eyes towards 2012 when we will compete in the motherland’s capital with warnings already ringing in our ears that Beijing was only their practice run.

But anyone who doesn’t think second or third is good enough, should have a chat to Sally McLennan or Anna Meares.

And try telling our K4 women’s crew of Hannah Davis, Chantal Meek, Lyndsie Fogarty and Lisa Oldenhof that bronze means nothing.

Melissa Wu may have succumbed to nerves in the 10m diving final, but the 16-year-old had a much more mature outlook to not medalling than people twice her age.

Melissa bombed a landing and didn’t make it into the top three, but instead of feeling sorry for herself, she said she was happy just to be there, because it was the best she had gone in an international competition.

And really, that is what it should be about.

Sure every athlete at the Games wants to win.

Otherwise, why would they be there?

But not everyone can win. It’s not like primary school where they give out ribbons for every place.

You may be the best in your country, but that doesn’t mean you will be the best in the world.

Australia is a country of 21 million people. We may not have done as well as we had planned, but we are still punching well above our weight in the Olympic stakes.

But it seems that over the last eight years, we have become so used to winning that we have forgotten how to lose.

Maybe we should remember that there were more than 100 countries which didn’t win a single medal.

Another seven came home with just one bronze.

But given what is happening in many of those 120 or so of those nations, just sending a team to the Olympics is cause for celebration.

And we are whinging because we only came home with 46 medals, 14 of them gold.

I enjoy seeing our athletes standing on top of the dais as much as any one else.

But I also get a kick from seeing athletes like Eric the eel just out there having a go.

It’s just sport people. At times it is inspiring as well as heartbreaking and sometimes, yes it is disappointing.

But it’s just sport.

And for there to be winners, others have to lose.

But the thing about losing is that it can make your hunger to win even stronger.

So come 2012, maybe we’ll see the return of the Aussies.