Defining moments of Beijing Olympic Games

BRAVE HEART: Natalie du Toit of South Africa, prepares for the start of the women's 10km marathon swimming event.

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Beijing: Defining moments of the 2008 Beijing Olympics which end on Sunday:

Michael Phelps's eight of the best

The 23-year-old from Baltimore swam into Olympic history with eight golds, the most by one athlete at a single Games, taking his career total to 14. He also added seven world records. Even water leaking into his goggles couldn't stop him

Usain Bolt and thunder on the track

The fastest man in the world picked up three golds in three events and smashed the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay world records. A gift to headline writers everywhere, Bolt redefined sprinting and helped Jamaica pour on the track and field misery for the US.

If looks could kill

Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke became a celebrity after she "sang" in front of a television audience of millions during the opening ceremony. But then it was revealed that the seven-year-old had lip-synched the real voice of Yang Peiyi who was deemed too chubby to go on stage.

Limping Liu

Hurdler Liu Xiang, China's poster boy, buckled under the weight of injury and expectation and limped out of the National Stadium leaving the whole country stunned. A press conference, where his coach broke down in tears, was carried live on TV.

Georgia on our minds

The bloody conflict almost sparked a walkout by the Georgia delegation, but they stayed and celebrated with three gold medals. In a women's shooting event, medallists Natalia Paderina, a soldier in the Russian army, and Georgia's Nino Salukvadze, long time friends, embraced on the podium.

Lights, action, Isinbayeva

Yelena Isinbayeva set a new women's polevault world record in collecting her second gold medal with a leap of 5.05m, a massive 25cm higher than her closest competitor. The charismatic 26-year-old held the Bird's Nest spellbound. "It made me feel like an actress," said the Russian 'chick with a stick'.

Blimey, it's the Brits

Traditionally written off as brave-hearted amateurs, Great Britain placed fourth in the medals table as the Games entered its last weekend, ahead of Russia, Germany and old rivals Australia who mocked Britain's talent for 'sitting down sports'.

Adult reeducation

Two elderly Chinese women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, were interrogated for 10 hours and sentenced to one year of "Reeducaton Through Labour," said Wu's son Li Xuehui after they applied to demonstrate at an official Olympic protest zone.

Small can be big

City state Singapore broke a 48-year wait for an Olympic medal while the likes of Togo, Afghanistan and Mauritius climbed onto the podium for the first time.

Triumph over adversity

Dutchman Maarten van der Weijden beat leukemia and then won gold in the men's 10 kilometers open water marathon swim; South Africa's Natalie du Toit, the first amputee to compete at the Olympics, finished an incredible 16th in the women's event; Iraq sprinter Dana Abdulrazak, who braved Baghdad snipers in order to train, takes part in 100m heats.