A strange thing happened to me on my way home from work last Friday. I was outside Charing Cross station and saw the doorman of the hotel there laughing with a happy guy about to get into a smart looking car. He seemed to be ribbing the bloke about something who just smiled and laughed back. Anyway as I passed him I noticed around fifty pounds worth of tenners in his back pocket flapping about ready to fall out/be nicked. I tapped the guy on the shoulder and said “Oi mate, watch your money especially around here” to which he thanked me profusely, shook my hand, pushed the tenners deeper into his pocket and got into the car and I thought no more of it.

It wasn’t until a few hours later watching the opening ceremony of the olympics on the telly I spotted the guy walking into the arena holding the olympic flag with a few others (including Stephen Lawrence’s mum and Muhammad Ali). Only turns out the bloke was the Ethiopian long distance runner Haile Gebrselassie. How bonkers is that? I know zilch about sport so didn’t have a clue who he was at the time. Can I claim my free olympic family tickets now?