I have faced some tough challenges in my time, and this is certainly one of them – a columnist.

It’s something completely new to me, but I hope in the coming weeks and months to be able to give you an insight into my world.

There are sure to be highs – remember the Olympics – but also lows as I embark on what are sure to be some tough training months.

There is no better way to start than to try and encapsulate what last year and London 2012 meant to me.

I’m now a veteran of three Olympics, with a record of won two, lost one. And when I say lost, I really mean it – we came last! That was a low day. However, as they say, if you want to climb really high, you first have to go really low.

I’m not sure performing quite so badly was entirely necessary, but I still learned more at that Olympics than the others combined.

The effect of knowing what could be lost makes training that bit more focused.

When I first heard that London had won the bid, I knew it was going to be the highest mountain I would be able to climb.

If there was anything to achieve in my life, it would be to reach my potential at that regatta.

As the winters went by, each presenting an opportunity to make psychological gains over your rivals, I invested everything towards this one performance.

A six-minute race that would define every British athletes’ career. London 2012 did not disappoint.

I’ll leave the race for another column, suffice to say that we produced a masterpiece.

I’m very proud of what we did – we got every inch of speed we could, we fulfilled our potential. We also happened to win.

However, the Olympics transformed our achievement into something completely different.

I’ve never before raced in front of such a passionate crowd and have never been within a groundswell – a movement that took over our little island – like the Olympics did.

As the minutes, hours and days went by in London 2012, it became clear how small my victory was.

If it wasn’t for everyone’s investment in cheering and supporting, my medal would be worthless.

The tireless organisation by LOCOG, the huge effort from volunteers and to the British forces – of whom I am incredibly proud – present at every check-in, to ‘just do their job’ as they returned from the lines in Afghanistan.

It was a powerful experience and one for which I lack words.

The reason the Games were so special was that we came together, as a nation. We showed to ourselves, more than anyone else, what we can do.

When I look at my London 2012 medal, I see what the event meant to everyone.

The most satisfying part is when I give my medal to someone, which I do as much as I can.

They all glaze over for a second or two, and rub it while they remember something good. And they smile.

There aren't many things in this world that can do that.

As the medal’s guardian, I will continue to share it and thank everyone who invested their time into the Games.

This nation did something very special, we can all be very proud of what we achieved.

This gives the medal a glow that I hope never fades.