OF all the champions of women’s sport that have emerged in recent times, Andy Murray may be one of the least obvious, at least at first glance.

But Scotland’s double Olympic champion certainly put the hapless John Inverdale in his place after winning the men’s tennis final in Rio in the early hours of Monday morning.

Asked by the BBC presenter to describe how it felt to be the first person ever to win two Olympic tennis gold medals, the Dunblane athlete set him straight right away by pointing out that Venus and Serena Williams have now won four Olympic gold medals each during their illustrious sporting careers.

What a hero!

Like many others, I’ve spent too many late evenings in the past fortnight staying up to watch just one more heat in the latest event. I’ve taken in the cycling, athletics, rowing, gymnastics and trampoline to name but a few, and have been inspired and entranced by it all.

But one thing that has stood out for me in these games has been the way in which the Olympics has served as a worldwide showcase for women and women’s sport. Outside of these large international competitions, it’s difficult to think of another occasion where female athletes perform on an equal platform, with identical prizes at stake and the same TV coverage to their male counterparts.

Super Sunday isn’t so super when only half the country has a chance to shine.

This high-profile platform is valuable in a huge number of ways. Not only does it provide positive role models to inspire both the elite and social athletes of the future, but it helps these strong, successful women demolish a range of misconceptions, taboos and stereotypes that many modern societies still harbour.

For example, what a positive icon for young women across the world US triple gold-medalist Simone Biles has been through her hard work and dedication to perfection as a gymnast. Closer to home Katherine Grainger’s success in becoming Team GB’s greatest ever female Olympian by winning a fifth Olympic medal at her fifth consecutive Games is an astonishing achievement, her tremendous talent underpinned by decades of hard work and dedication.

But aside from their tremendous sporting achievements, this platform has given these female athletes the opportunity to break down other social barriers. For example, the highly successful Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who has won the hearts of so many viewers through her idiosyncratic interview style – if you haven’t seen her yet think Catherine Tate rather than Michael Phelps – explained in a post-race interview at the beginning of this week that she had been doubled up in pain after a race as she was competing despite experiencing severe period pains.

Given that more women than men currently watch the coverage of the Olympics on TV, it’s hugely important that in a country like China, where social taboos mean that only one in fifty women use tampons that public figures like Fu discuss their periods in a factual and public manner.

So when we talk about building a positive legacy from the Olympic Games, let’s think bigger than just winning more medals in Tokyo in 2020.

As I found out for myself when watching Scotland’s netball heroines play Northern Ireland at Heriot-Watt University on Sunday, the enthusiasm for female sport here in Scotland is growing as it is elsewhere. While an increasing number of teenage girls in Scotland now participate in sport, work is still required to close the gender gap.

That’s why the new Sporting Equality Fund announced by the First Minster at the end of last month is so important. We need investment combined with a renewed commitment at all levels if we’re to capitalise on the platform that the Rio Games has given women and in turn increase participation, engagement, and promotion of women in sport.

The journey towards equality, in sport as in the rest of our society, will be a marathon and not a sprint. It will take the same level of dedication from all of us as has been shown over the last fortnight by Scotland’s fantastic female Olympic medalists; Heather Stanning, Katie Archibald, Katherine Grainger and Sally Conway.

But by following their example, and that of other champions like Andy Murray, and building on this successful Olympic Games, we’ll be able to make real progress.