LONDON (AFP) — Sunday newspapers hailed the country's Olympic stars such as swimming hero Rebecca Adlington following the country's greatest-ever day at the Games.
Britain won nine medals in Beijing on "Super Saturday", including four golds, to restore some sporting pride and lift the gloom back home in a summer marked by foul weather and soaring living costs.
Adlington's beaming smile and pictures of her holding the Union Flag covered the front pages of newspapers Sunday, with headlines such as "Pure Gold" and "Great Haul of China".
"Amid all the international gloom, what a truly wonderful day yesterday for Britain's Olympic hopes," said the Sunday Express.
The Observer said: "While the awful summer weather keeps us indoors, we can thank Team GB for dispelling the gloom. There may be clouds over Britain, but yesterday they had a gold lining."
The Sunday Times said Britain's athletes rose to the occasion magnificently.
"So, for a moment, let's forget the politics that seems to have dominated these Olympics. Let's just admire the achievement, marvel at the hard work and look forward to more of the same.
"Now anything seems possible. That's the magic of sport."
Britain's men's rowing coxless four scooped gold, as did cyclists Bradley Wiggins in the 4,000 metres individual pursuit and Chris Hoy in the men's Keirin.
But like most newspapers, The Mail on Sunday singled out 19-year-old Adlington, who broke the world record in winning the women's 800 metres freestyle to add to the 400 metres freestyle gold she earned on Monday.
"All Britain's Olympic medal winners deserve much praise, for helping us to feel good about ourselves, for showing that we still have among us many determined, self-disciplined and hard-working men and women who are supremely good at what they do.
"But the heart lifts especially for Rebecca Adlington, who combines astonishing, superlative talent with an engaging, very British modesty and humour.
"She also makes it look easy, when the truth is that her victory is the result of years of relentless training and single-mindedness."
Adlington's boyfriend, 22-year-old swimmer Andy Mayor, led the calls for the Olympic champion to be knighted and become Dame Rebecca.
"That would be great. Anything that comes as a product of her success is richly deserved," he told the News of the World newspaper.
"What she has achieved is amazing. I thought she was amazing before this but I love her even more now," he added.
"She is the greatest person I have ever met. Her success has completely blown me away."
He promised to whisk her off to Spain on a holiday.
"I'm so proud of Rebecca and can't wait to see her. Her achievements are enormous and she is so touched by the reaction of everyone at home," Mayor said.
"She has been rewarded for all her hard work and training over the years and hopefully what she's done can spur on a new generation of swimmers to emulate her. I don't think what she has done yet has quite sunk in for any of us."
The Sunday Telegraph compared Britain's poorly-recompensed Olympic heroes to its "greedy, thuggish and vulgar" footballers, some of whom were not satisfied earning 100,000 pounds (186,500 dollars, 127,000 euros) per week.
"Our victorious Olympians are genuine role models, partly because their prime motivation is not money, but rather love of their sport," the broadsheet said.
The Beijing Games have been "surprisingly uplifting" for a nation used to seeing its sports stars "display the qualities of gallant losers.
"We have developed a whole range of responses for coping with failure. But in the last week, British spectators have had the unusual experience of seeing British competitors win."
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