The Historic Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A record total of 10,500 athletes competed in 302 events in 28 sports. The centrepiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics is the brand new, spectacular ‘Beijing National Stadium’, nicknamed the Bird's Nest
The Games saw 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set.
The opening ceremony was held in the new Beijing National Stadium. It featured a cast of over 15,000 performers, and was dubbed beforehand as "the most spectacular Olympics Opening Ceremony ever produced".

I think the opening ceremony was a grand, unprecedented success for China. The ceremony depicted China’s three gifts to the world: gunpowder, paper and printing. The synchronization of all the performers was enthralling. The years of hardwork by the performers was well received by a record 120,000 spectators in the stadium and a few billion TV viewers around the world on their Television.

For me, the Most memorable moments of this Olympics were :

1. Michael Phelps winning a record 8 Gold Medals in swimming
2. Usain Bolt setting a world record in 100 metres run, 200metres run and 4x100 metres relay
3. Our home team Singapore winning its first Olympic silver medal in Table Tennis
   

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps, an American swimmer broke the record for most golds in one Olympics and for most career gold medals for an Olympian Beating Mark Spitz. Michael Phelps went a perfect 8-for-8 in Beijing, breaking Mark Spitz's single-Games record for gold medals. He swam 17 times over nine days and broke the world records in all the 8 events.

I think Phelps is an amazing swimmer. He not only won 8 gold medals but also broke all the 8 world records with the aid of his fellow companions in some team events. So kudos to his team also. In a TEAM, Together Everyone Achieves More. Some people criticized Phelps for wearing a ‘special’ swimming suit to improve his timings. I believe that the swimming suit he is wearing can only help him a little bit to swim faster but we can’t ignore the fact that he has also trained very rigorously for years to achieve such a great feat. I think that he has received the fruits of his labors and as the saying goes “Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.” He is now my hero, my idol.

Usain Bolt

Bolt came from Jamaica, a relatively small and obscure place. Bolt became the first man to win all three track and field events (100 metres run, 200metres run and 4x100 metres relay) at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984, and the first man in history to set world records in all three at a single Olympics.

I think Bolt is an incredible man. I found it mesmerizing to watch him run like the wind and celebrate triumphantly. Despite being a 200m specialist; he set a new world record 9.69s for the 100m. His name and achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname "Lightning Bolt"

Singapore Table Tennis team

Singapore has clinched the silver medal in the Olympic women's table tennis team event. It is the nation's first Olympic medal in 48 years. Singapore and China played a thrilling final which lasted nearly two hours at the Peking University Sports Stadium on Sunday night. But despite giving their best shot, the Singapore trio - comprising Captain Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei - were no match for their opponents, losing 0-3 in the end. World number one and Athens singles gold medallist Zhang Yining then stepped up to battle past Li 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-7 in a match peppered by long rallies. Zhang and world champion Guo Yue then paired to steamrolled Li and Wang Yuegu 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 to win the title.

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I strongly believe that the table tennis team has done Singapore proud by winning a silver medal in the Olympics after 48 years. In their journey to finals, they beat greater opponents like Korea, Japan. In the finals, they displayed their “never say die-die spirit” and a good sportsmanship. Although we lost, we should be happy with the Silver Medal. I think their goal in the next Olympic is to get a gold medal. 4. China won 51 gold medals, the most of any nation at these Olympics, and led the gold medal count for the first time in their Olympic history. Athletes from the United States won the most total medals, with 110.

These 2008 China Olympic Games will leave an indelible mark in my memory.