Fireworks light the sky over the Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Michael Phelps ended his remarkable swimming career by winning four gold and two silver medals in London. He is now the most decorated Olympian ever with a total of 22 medals, 18 of them gold.

Chad le Clos produced a blistering finish that just beat Michael Phelps to the wall in the final of the 200m butterfly to record one of the biggest upsets in Olympic Games history.

Cameron van der Burgh won South Africa's first medal of the London Olympics when he won gold in a new world record time in the 100m breaststroke final.

Three British athletes won gold medals in Olympic Stadium in 44 minutes on Super Saturday to produce the signature night of the London Games. Jessica Ennis got the festivities started with gold in the heptathlon.

The noise in the packed 8 0000-capacity Olympic stadium became deafening as Mo Farah raced to victory in the 5 000m to become the first British athlete to complete the 10 000m and 5 000m double at the Olympics.

Usain Bolt electrified the London Games by becoming the first man to win gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in back-to-back Olympics.

Kenya's David Rudisha’s triumph in the 800m in a world record time of 1:40.91 will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympic victories.

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins won Olympic gold in the men's individual time trial.

Crowd favourite Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete at the Olympic Games.

South Africa stunned favourites Great Britain and Denmark to claim their first ever Olympic rowing gold medal in the lightweight men's four.

Caster Semenya came from way behind to win a silver medal in the women's 800m final.

Bridgitte Hartley won a bronze medal in the women's K1 500m to give South Africa its first ever Olympic medal for sprint canoeing.

Epke Zonderland put in an astonishing display to win gold on the high bar for the Netherlands. His gravity-defying performance is regarded as the "Comaneci" moment of the London Games.

Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich stunned the Kenyan challenge to clinch Olympic Games gold in the men's marathon.

Oscar Pistorius arrived at the Paralympics as the poster boy of the Games and in the final sporting event to be held in the Olympic Stadium he won gold in the T44 400m in a Paralympic record. After the disappointment of losing his 200m title to Brazil's Alan Fonteles Oliveira, Pistorius and his teammates Samkelo Radebe, Zivan Smith and Arnu Fourie gained revenge when they claimed gold in a world record time of 41.78 in the 4x100m relay.

Alex Zanardi, the former Formula One driver, who lost both his legs in a horrific race car crash in 2001, became a double paralympic champion in handcycling to provide one of the lasting images of the Paralympics.

Wheelchair phenomenon David Weir claimed four gold medals at the Paralympic Games. The British athlete won gold medals in the T54 marathon, 5 000m, 1 500m and 800m.

Natalie du Toit rounded off her swimming career with 13 Paralympic gold medals.

Coldplay rock the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony as they were joined by Rihanna to sing farewell to a spectacular summer of sport in the British Capital.