Britain enjoy EYOF success but what about those pesky Germans?

From Nick Clowes, Sportsbeat, in Tampere

‘AND at the end of the day, the Germans always win,' former England striker Gary Lineker (he of crisps and model fiancee fame) once famously said.

MAN WITH THE PAD: Sportsbeat's Nick Clowes interviews Jennie Batten during the European Youth Olympic Festival in Finland

And you've got to admit, he had a point.

Our lederhosen-clad friends have a habit of narrow victories over Blighty and they've only gone and done it again.

Only this time it's on ‘silver medal difference' rule. Team GB's European Youth Olympic Festival impressive medal haul of 25 puts them fourth in the table but, despite both countries winning 10 golds, the Germans eight silvers to our six saw them pip it.

But what exactly does this mean for the future of Team GB or even the Germans for that matter? In three words, not a lot.

Because as everyone's favourite ‘Miss Nobody', Rebecca Adlington, will tell you, Olympic champions rarely dominate all before them in their fledgling years.

Back in 2001, when the girl next door from Mansfield actually was unheard of, she competed in this ‘Olympic preparation event' and you know what? She was beaten. Twice.

The 13-year-old Adlington could only manage two silver medals in Paris, so should we be really concerned about who finishes where and with what this year?

The British Olympic Association were at pains to empathise Adlington's participation when promoting this year's event and for a good reason.

Their investment in the expensive business of taking teenage teams to events around the world (including the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney earlier this year) is both laudable and valuable.

Over the five days of competition we might just have witnessed the first career steps of the next Adlington, Christine Ohuruogu or Bradley Wiggins.

Let's just hope we haven't seen the next Mark Lewis-Francis, who went from the fastest teenager in the world to the most injured sprinter in the world in under five years.

However, there were certainly those who stood out.

SUCCESS: British gymnasts enjoyed success in Tampere - including Sam Oldham's double gold (British Olympic Association)

Jennie Batten looks set to follow in the footsteps of great British female sprinter such as.... well, anyway she took the 100m and 200m at a canter.

But she's got competition. Fellow British teen Jodie Williams wasn't in Tampere having focused on the World Youth Championships, where she won double gold.

Swimmer protégé Amelia Maughan showed she's built for the big occasion (at five foot, ten inches, size nine feet and still only 13) and is surely one to watch out for.

Gymnast Sam Oldham virtually came from nowhere to take two gold medals on the final day and was almost immediately billed as the next Louis Smith.

He even trains with him at the Huntingdon Club, so no pressure Sam.

There were those, of course, who didn't perform.

But as Adlington and so many others will testify, Olympic medals are not handed out years in advance.

And we forget that they are just kids.

WORKING HARD: Sportsbeat's Nick Clowes in action in Tampere - he even found time to make himself a cup of tea

Aged between 13 and 16, some looked like rabbits in headlights - particularly when a dictaphone was thrust under their nose as Her Majesty's British press corps (that would just be me) reported their successes and failures for Sportsbeat's network of regional newspaper clients.

Most were naturally quite shy and rightly cautious but for every Natasha Hofton, a medallist in the swimming pool, there was a Liam Clowes.

Clowes (no relation, I promise) took bronze in the 200m and to describe him as confident would be an understatement.

At 16, he's over two seconds behind world record holder Usain Bolt but listening to him, he'll have you believe he's the number one.

But while our talented athletes are too often derided as cocky and arrogant, there was something I liked about Clowes, and not just his surname.

He knows what he wants and I wouldn't be surprised to interview him again on a much bigger stage in the years to come.

But of the 62 British athletes who took part in Finland, it's unlikely we'll hear about 90 per cent of them again - such is the well-known difficulty in graduating from junior to senior ranks.

For many this was their Olympics and let's hope they enjoyed every second of the experience.

But to determine the real success of EYOF 2009 is to not look at the medal table.

Instead we must patiently sit, wait and hope.