Highs

Cathy Freeman: If getting the Aborigine athlete to light the torch was a cynical exercise in cosmetics on the part of the organising committee, well it fooled the world. Freeman's role in the opening ceremony electrified the stadium and set the tone for games. By the time she ran her 400 metres final, the Olympic Games were hers.

Superman: Michael Johnson came to Sydney, embellished his already legendary reputation and left again. No sweat, just brilliance.

Volunteers: Although the infrastructure creaked occasionally, Sydney coped wonderfully with the daily trail of human traffic to and from the stadium. The main reason for this was the 44,000 volunteers. For two weeks they stood in baking conditions, said hello about a million times a day, answered the same questions, sang songs through their megaphones, offered help and wished everybody well. They created the atmosphere. They were given 7,000 free closing-ceremony tickets as a thank you present.

Water Polo: After campaigning for many fruitless years to have their sport included in the Olympics, the Australian's women's team celebrated the belated success of their campaign by hitting the winning goal in the last second of the gold-medal game against the United States. For Australians, it could not come any sweeter.

The Rower: Steve Redgrave leaves Sydney a sporting legend.

Aquifa Amarai: The East Timorese athlete had only run three marathons in her life and only recently acquired running shoes. At the finish line in Olympic stadium, she dropped to her knees and began to pray. Then, an official bent over and told her she had another lap to complete. She dragged herself round the final 400 metres and collapsed at the line again, to huge applause. She finished 42nd out of 45 runners.

Juan Antonio Samanarch: Hated old carp he may be but the IOC president seduced the country with his opening words, "G'day Sid-innee, G'day Australia." Also won further sympathy when his wife passed away days later.

Fatso the fat-arsed wombat: The runaway television success of the Games was Roy Slaven's and HG Nelson's late-night satire show, The Dream. Fatso, their alternatve mascot, has become the most sought after collector's item. Subtle, no, but the home crowd seem to love it.

Bondi: Despite all the controversy, the beach volleyball tournament at Bondi Beach was an unrivalled success and could well become a permanent venue of the sport's touring circuit.

Lows

CJ's tears: This sight of Mr Marion Jones losing the tough-guy image and breaking down at a press conference to protest his innocence regarding substance abuse will long be remembered as the most pathetic, cringe-inducing moment of the Games.

Andreea Raducan: The Romanian gymnast went from being the darling of the floor to a bewildered little girl in the space of a week. Given that used needles were found in one quarter of all athletes rooms, the Romanian, stripped of gold after what appears to have been a genuine mistake, was particularly unlucky.

Eric the Eel: It was funny for a day. But with Nike hopping on board and the 100 metre slasher hamming it up with Aussie celebrities Michael Klim and Grant Hackett, the whole thing began to get embarrassing. If the E man has any sense, he will ditch the Nike training and head back to Equatorial New Guinea. Does he really want to be mentioned in the same breath as Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards?

NBC: Maybe they went head to head with The Sopranos. Maybe the Yanks got turned off by the first day local poolside showboating ignited by Ian Thorpe and company. Or maybe it was because they were getting the pictures 10 hours too late. In any case, NBC, which shelled out $3.2 billion for the rights to cover the games, got its lowest ratings since Mexico 1968.

The Dream Team: they might have taken gold but the hoopsters will meet some raised eyebrows when they go home. True, their semi-final match against Lithuania has been described as the best in Olympic history but it is time to admit "the Dream" ended back in 1992. This US team illustrated one thing: NBA players are forgetting how to shoot the ball.

Jane Saville: Who was that guy who disqualified the Australian walker 200 metres from the stadium? And isn't it about time the whole walking game was reviewed?

Hicham El Guerrouj: Falling with 400 metres to go in Atlanta and falling flat in Sydney. The Morroccan is leaving a strange legacy in the 1,500-metre event.