Olympics blog

Watching sport should be fun. And usually it is. Unless you're watching an event where you have a vested interest.

Like Sunday's women's archery team tournament at the Olympics in Beijing.

As the media adviser to Archery GB, I know Alison Williamson, Naomi Folkard and Charlotte Burgess, and have a great deal of time and respect for all three of them.

So obviously I was willing them to win a medal. Gold was a tall order - the Koreans are quite simply phenomenal, but silver was a possibility; bronze I'd have settled for.

Alas, they left empty handed, after defeats to China in the semi-finals, and then France in the bronze medal shoot-off. I was mortified.

But if I was disappointed, then how must Alison, Naomi and Charlotte have felt? The tears said it all.

I think what made this even more disappointing is that I know that Alison, Naomi and Charlotte justify their world ranking of number two, and if I am totally honest I suppose my expectations were high.

But that reflects the faith I have in all three of them. Oh, and if I'm brutally honest, I was also thinking of the great publicity and profile for archery that winning a medal would bring!

That said, it was wonderful to see archer featuring on live television. And though the result wasn't what we wanted, it was certainly a gripping watch, when I could bear to look!

But I am an eternal optimist, and the three Brits will bounce back. Indeed, sometimes a kick in the proverbial teeth can make you more resolute, and I have no doubt that they will turn up for the individual tournament in the week more determined than ever.

Monday is the men's team tournament.

Alan Wills, Simon Terry and Larry Godfrey won silver at the World Championships last year, and they have the ability individually and collectively make up for Sunday's disappointment.

I'll be a cheerleader in chief once again. But will I able to cope with the tension?