But somehow, Phelps seemed eclipsed here by Usain Bolt, the irrepressible Jamaican sprinter who became the first man to win gold in the 100 and 200 meters at two Olympics and finished off a record-breaking performance in the 4x100-meter relay. Measured by sheer quantity of bling, Bolt has a fraction of Phelps’s medals. But perhaps because the designation “fastest man on earth” speaks to such an elemental physical feat, or because he celebrates with unequaled brio, Bolt might have made the deepest and most lasting impression here. At minimum, he joined the pantheon of great athletes, like Ali and Pelé, famous enough to be known by one name.

Others will argue for singular performances, like the 800 won by Kenya’s David Rudisha, who set a world record. “Bolt was good, but this guy was just magnificent, from a different planet that night,” said Sebastian Coe, a former Olympic middle-distance gold medalist and the chairman of the London 2012 organizing committee. Or the American women’s 4x100 relay team, which shaved a half-second from the world record set in 1985 by the East German team during the height of a state-sponsored doping program.

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Some context. Seb Coe, one of the most revered in the sport, is the former world-record holder of the 800m and 1500m. Is it a surprise he considers the 800m world-record breaking performance to be the best and most memorable event?

As someone who once dallied in the 800m , I can say that Rudishas performance is just jaw-dropping. Wire to wire, world record, at the Olympics.

Wow.

And he has an incredible story too. This is where NBC did succeed; in telling stories (it's jut unfortunate they forced us to sit through hours of synchronized diving and beach volleyball to watch those stories).

Nevertheless, Bolt stole the show by stealing the hearts of the fans. Track and Field is oft-considered a boring sport when compared to the likes of football and soccer and basketball. Bolt makes it fun again.

I love that you talk of Bolt and Rudisha, but the picture is Spice Girls.

NBC's coverage barely showed us any basketball. What a ripoff!

I do wish there were more opportunities to see Bolt and Rudisha besides the Olympics.

Posh Spice in your included image is making the same salute as Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the 1968 Olympics:

Tommie Smith stated in his autobiography, Silent Gesture, that the gesture was in fact a "human rights salute".

"Spice Girl power" = "Human Rights Salute" !