Bolt, Phelps and China shine as Games lives up to motto

By Simon Evans

BEIJING (Reuters) - Athletes at the Beijing Games lived up to the Olympic motto 'Faster, Higher, Stronger' and none more so than swimmer Michael Phelps and sprinter Usain Bolt.

Jamaican Bolt, celebrating his 100 meters world record before he had even finished his gold medal-winning run, provided the most striking image but Phelps's eight gold medals in the pool are likely to be regarded as the most enduring feat of the Games.

American Phelps beat compatriot Mark Spitz's record of seven golds in a single Games, which had stood since 1972. He broke four individual world records and took part in three record-breaking relays, powered by a kick borrowed from dolphins.

Only twice did his goal of overtaking Spitz look in real danger.

He needed Jason Lezak to overtake France's Alain Bernard in a thrilling final leg of the 4x100 freestyle relay and he then beat Serbian Milorad Cavic by one hundredth of a second by using his huge arm span to touch first in the 100 meters butterfly.

Spitz declared his successor to be the "best Olympian of all time" and, while there is more to greatness than medals, his record of 14 career golds is unprecedented in any sport and the 23-year-old could add to his tally in London in 2012.

Bolt already owned the 100 meters world record and in front of a capacity 91,000 crowd at the spectacular Bird's Nest stadium he stormed down the track in 9.69 seconds.

He would have been even quicker had he not begun waving his arms in triumph and slapping his chest well before the finish line.

'SUPERMAN 2'

Bolt had always insisted he was a 200 meters runner and he confirmed his participation in the shorter distance only after arriving in China.

When it came to the 200, Bolt broke American Michael Johnson's 12-year-old record, setting a time of 19.30 seconds. Johnson declared Bolt to be "Superman 2".

Bolt led a magnificent performance by Jamaica on the track -- the Caribbean island nation won six gold medals and took a podium sweep in the women's 100 meters led by winner Shelly-Ann Fraser.

Excellence was on show across 16 days of gold, sweat and tears that ended on Sunday.

Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva achieved what athletes in field events so rarely manage. She occupied centre stage by securing the gold and then returning to break her own world record.

She cleared 5.05 meters at the final attempt after spending most of the competition relaxing under a towel and duvet.