Beijing bids farewell, London beckons

Beijing dazzled with all its splendour as curtains came down on the Olympic Games tonight. The 16-day extravaganza got a befitting signing off and when London Mayor Boris Johnson was handed over the Olympic flag by his Beijing counterpart Guo Jinlong, the onus was passed on to the British capital to match in 2012, if bettering is impossible, the benchmark set in Beijing. Hosts China asserted their supremacy with a record haul of 51 gold medals. The formidable Chinese, who maintained their dominance right through the games, finished with 51 gold, 21 silver and 28 bronze for an overall tally of 100 medals. The United States of America finished in the second position with a tally of 36-38-36 while Russia had to be content with the third place with a tally of 23-21-28. Britain took the fourth position with 19-13-15. India too had reasons to cherish the event as their Beijing campaign yielded an unprecedented three individual medals. The Games will, however, be remembered for US swimming sensation Michael Phelp``s incredible eight gold medals and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt``s golden treble in sprint events, feats which have been the high point of the Olympics.