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The tops and flops of the Beijing Games COULISSES DE PéKIN Sunday, August 24 Organization almost perfect, rainfall records, legendary exploits: the first Olympics in China have been a grand cru, which has enabled the Asian giant to spread its power but emphasized the limits of its tolerance. History will remember that sport is in Beijing in August 2008, the American swimmer Michael Phelps has dethroned her compatriot Mark Spitz and his seven gold medals gathered in Munich in 1972. > All Games results > The final medals table: China leads > Give your opinion. What are your tops and flops Beijing Olympics? See our story: the greatest moments of the Olympic video 8 THE TOPS: Phelps: Man Games. American swimmer Michael Phelps is the first athlete to win eight gold medals at the same Olympics. It now ahead of his compatriot Mark Spitz, seven times in swimming titles at the Olympic Games of Munich in 1972. It is also the most titled athlete of the Summer Olympics, with 14 gold medals in total (6 in Athens in 2004). Bolt and Jamaica: The Jamaican Usain Bolt is triple Olympic champion in 100, 200 m and 4x100 m relay and triple world record holder over the same distances. His ease, his relaxed, his talent and his 96 metre are symbols of the explosion of Jamaican sprint, which also offers a threefold in the women's 100 m Beijing Olympics. SUMMARY Asafa Powell: "Jamaica is the world capital of the sprint." Bekele: The Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, 26 years, won the gold medal in the 10,000 m, 5000 m and then, realizing it doubled in a week. It is the fifth athlete in history to accomplish it. It finally becomes the successor to his compatriot Haile Gebreselassie, who dominated the track in the 90 years before getting on the marathon. Isinbayeva: The pole Russian Yelena Isinbayeva celebrated his second Olympic title with the 24th world record (outdoors and room together) of his career, 5.05 m in the 3rd test. "Tsarina" says she is 5.20 m. Hellebaut and relayeuses: winning gold in the women's high jump with a record of Belgium in the key (2m05), Tia Hellebaut became the first Olympic champion of women's athletics Belgium. The Antwerp offered to Belgium its 139th Olympic medal, the 37th gold, and second medal of the Games of Beijing, after the 2nd place Olivia Borlée, Hanna Marien, Elodie Ouedraogo and Kim Gevaert on the 4x100 relay m. China: The country was ready on the organization - perfect - Games and sports. It is now as the first Olympic power on the planet, very far ahead of the USA, with 51 gold medals against 36 for the Americans. The Dream Team: The "Dream Team" of American basketball, beaten at the last two world time in the Games of Athens 2004 and the World-2006 in Japan, has returned. The giants of the NBA played with a rage and a thirst for revenge that they knew not. They successively swept China, Greece, Spain, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and finally to the new world champion Spain. Great Britain: London hosts the next Games in 2012 and British athletes have shown their ambition to Beijing where they took a surprising fourth place behind China, USA and Russia in the medals table (19 gold). They smashed the track cycling and largely dominated sailing. 8 THE FLOPS Liu Xiang: The injury and the package of Liu Xiang of 110 m hurdles, the idol of all of China, was much more than just a sporting disappointment: a good part of the communication Games was based on the image this young man and talented worker. Some sponsors have used his image to infinity in Chinese and global campaigns, investing vast sums. He was the idol of hundreds of millions of supporters who were waiting in the fever to see him win gold. The judo in Japan: The Japanese Satoshi Ishii has become Olympic judo champion in the category of over 100 kg. But four years after flying over the world thanks to its technical qualities, the Japanese judo through difficult times. From Greece in 2004, Nippons were left with ten medals including eight gold. In Beijing, they could not keep that five crowns. Manaudou: After failures in scathing final 400 m nage libre (8th) and 100 m backstroke (7th), Laure Manaudou has missed its qualification for the final 200 m backstroke in achieving the 15th time semi-finals. The Frenchwoman has missed its Games. She decided to agree "a long break" to "take time and take pleasure in swimming." The U.S. sprint: Totally dominated by Jamaicans in the individual events, the American sprinters - Tyson Gay, Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards - are ridiculed in 4x100 m relay loser, boys and girls, their sticks and leaving again victory the men in yellow among gentlemen. Kluft: The Swede titled in the heptathlon in Athens, announced with great ambitions in long jump and triple jump. She pointed out qualification triple jump (20th). At length, she finished in 9th place. The queen of the heptathlon, double champion of Europe (2002 and 2006) and triple world champion (2003, 2005 and 2007), had announced earlier this year that she was tired of arguing the combined events. The Brazil in football: They had come to repair an error of history which, in their illustrissime winners, had forgotten an Olympic title and they still missed their coup. The Brazilians had to settle for a bronze medal by beating Belgium 3-0. But they have mostly seen the great triumph rival Argentina, gold medalist. And the girls have given victory to the USA. The problems of Arbitration: As with every Games, disputes have arisen in sports sanctioned by judges such as boxing, taekwondo or fight, but rather less than in previous editions. Big scandal in taekwondo where the Cuban Angel Valodia Matos (+ 80 kg) has attacked the referee of his fight for the bronze medal, giving it a kick to the face. In boxing, the international federation (AIBA) has suspended a technical delegate Romanian, Rudel Obreja, suspected of having influenced the selection of judges before the fighting. Federer: The Games should be the beginning of redemption, they were only continuing the nightmare for Roger Federer, former World N.1 eliminated from the quarter-finals simply by James Blake. The Switzerland still left China with a gold medal around the coup thanks to his victory in the doubles with his friend Stanislas Wawrinka.