Londone!

But the British followed a more traditional path after the Opening Ceremony: fine sport in rollicking venues with the emphasis on who got the medals. Traditional honors knighthoods are sure to follow.

Time to hand out Olympic prizes, before the royals beat us to it:

Best on land

Sure,Usain Bolt finished off an unprecedented triple-double,winning the 100 meters,the 200 meters and the 4215;100 relay with Jamaica for the second consecutive Olympics. Sure,David Rudisha set his own pace and boldly became the first man to break 1 minute 41 seconds in the 800.

But did Bolt or Rudisha do any of this on a broken leg? Step up,Manteo Mitchell,the little-known American runner who felt something pop as he ran the opening leg of the heats in the 4215;400-meter relay during the Games. In great pain,Mitchell kept on running,allowing the United States to qualify for the final,where it won a silver medal. Im pretty amazed that I still split 45 seconds on a broken leg, Mitchell said.

Worst on land

Some Brazilians,still cursing their Olympic luck,might lobby for their mens soccer team,which once again failed to win the gold medal despite the creative contributions of Neymar and a spot in the final against Mexico. But that would be forgetting what happened to the worlds leading nation in mens soccer,long before the medal round. Spain champion of Europe and the world failed to score a single goal in three games. Coach Luis Milla is now looking for work in a bad Spanish economy.

Best in water

Michael Phelpss 17-year-old American teammate Missy Franklin had clearly been studying Phelpss time-management skills,and on July 30 she dived in for the semifinals of the 200-meter freestyle and managed to qualify for the final. Less than 15 minutes later,she returned to the pool to win the 100-meter backstroke and her first Olympic gold medal.

Worst in water

After winning a surprise gold medal on the first night of competition in the womens 4215;100-meter freestyle,the swimming superpower Australia could not win another as its new star,James The Missile Magnussen,repeatedly failed to launch. Australian swimming has instead launched an independent performance review of the national program. But the Australians were still world beaters compared with the Germans,who won no medals in the pool for the first time since 1932.

Best on water

Shifting winds have not shifted Ben Ainslies Olympic fortunes. He became the only person to win medals in sailing in five consecutive Olympics. He has won gold in the last four Games and won it in the Finn class in Weymouth,England,despite a serious challenge from Jonas Hoegh-Christensen of Denmark. Just dont tell him he is the greatest British sailor since Admiral Lord Nelson. I didnt rescue the nation from the depths of Napoleon Bonaparte, Ainslie said. You do the best you can in your style of racing.

Worst on water

Hamadou Djibo Issaka,a 35-year-old gardener and swimming pool attendant from the landlocked African nation of Niger,started rowing only three months ago and trained for London in an old fishing boat.

It showed as he finished last by a lot in qualifying heats in his single scull,but dont take lack of speed for lack of popularity.

Though the retired British rowing great Steve Redgrave was resistant to Issakas taking part,the crowd at Eton Dorney embraced him. Belt up,Sir Steve! wrote The Guardian in an editorial. Now Niger knows about rowing,the spectators at Eton Dorney have had something to cheer before a medals been won,and Mr. Issaka has proved a great sport,if not necessarily a great sportsman. Isnt that what its about?

Best in mid-air

It required something extraordinary to take this prize in an Olympics when Queen Elizabeth jumped out of a helicopter or so Boyle would have had us believe. But that was the real Epke Zonderland on the horizontal bar: releasing,twisting,playing tricks with gravity. His body was a Zonderland,and what mean-spirited gymnastics judge could have denied the flying Dutchman what he deserved? Gold.

Worst in mid-air

In a normal year,Boris Johnson,the mayor of London,would have locked this up when he got stuck on a zip line during the Games. But this was no normal year. There is a school of thought that,in an overstuffed Olympics involving more than 10,000 athletes,it is better to lose interestingly than to win routinely. Those who consider YouTube hits to be the new coin of the realm can only agree in the case of Stephan Feck. The German diver bounced on the end of the 3-meter springboard,put a foot wrong and ended up losing control and doing a back flop.

The dive of 2012 Olympics earned zero points and millions of viewers.

Best under pressure

Forget just for a moment Jessica Ennis,Mo Farah and Bolt.

Sebastian Coe and the London Organizing Committee had to put on the modern worlds grandest spectacle in the midst of a British economic downturn with security costs soaring and a sudden shortage of security guards altogether with the event approaching. Government inquiries were started. Hands but happily no necks were wrung. Yet all went swimmingly as the Games were a resounding success. Final bill,please.

Worst under pressure

Matthias Steiner,the German weightlifter,failed to lift 196 kilograms in the snatch,lost control of the bar and crumpled to the floor as the weight landed on his neck and Olympic officials hustled to put up a curtain to shield spectators from the view. Now for the happy ending in an Olympics that was full of them: Steiner suffered no major injuries.

Best when unable to compete

Liu Xiangs Achilles tendon gave out as he crashed into the first hurdle,but Liu still found the energy to hop on his good leg the rest of the distance down the track and then plant a what-should-have-been kiss on the 10th and final hurdle.

Worst when able to compete

Serves intentionally in the net. Errors galore. Boos and whistles from spectators who were upset at the absence of spectacle after they had actually managed to get tickets through the London Organizing Committees website.

Badminton and round-robin made for bad bedfellows in London,and four doubles teams were disqualified for lack of effort. Now it is time to disqualify round-robin from Rio in 2016.

Best medal performance

The players on the victorious French handball team,seldom short of their own ideas,decided to steal a page from an Olympian who gets plenty of practice celebrating. They all did Bolts signature,arm-extended move,which is not,by the way,a lightning bolt.

Worst medal performance

Felipe Kitadai,a Brazilian judoka,was so attached to his new bronze medal that he even took it into the shower. He dropped it,breaking it and denting it. The International Olympic Committee finally agreed to supply him with a replacement.