The first week belonged to Michael Phelps, who became the greatest gold-medal-winning Olympian of all time.
The second week belonged to Usain Bolt, who became the greatest sprinter yet, winning three gold medals and setting three world records.
But the Games belonged to China, who last night won the contest by which it set most store - the gold medal race. And they did it without the help of their two superstars, Liu Xiang and Yao Ming.
Liu surrendered to injury as he tried valiantly to start his 110 metres hurdle heat before 91,000 bewildered fans in the 'Bird's Nest' and hundreds of millions watching aghast on television. Yao fought a losing battle in the basketball as China's team sports again failed to live up to expectations.
But table tennis - where the hosts are unbeatable - again delivered last night as China moved within one gold of the 50 mark.
For the first time, the hosts have beaten the US in the gold rush. And not just beaten them, but overwhelmed them. The US have just 34 golds.
The growth in China's gold medal haul has been spectacular - from 15 in Los Angeles in 1984 to 28 in Sydney eight years ago, 32 in Athens in 2004 and now 49 in Beijing.
