For host China, the Beijing Olympic Games are more than a sports rally -- it is rather a grand gathering of the world's most-loved heroes who, with or without a medal, have made the Games so much better with their unyielding will.

Never before have the 1.3 billion Chinese been so wild with excitement, to watch worldwide athletes play at the Games so close to their home.

The domestic crowd have gone wild with American superfish Michael Phelps throughout his way to all-eight Olympic golds and seven new world records, and with Jamaica's double gold sprinter Usain Bolt.

Sad as they are without their national icon Liu Xiang in the 110m hurdles final, the Chinese are waiting to witness Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles making history on Thursday night.

Thirty years after China's reform and opening up to the outside world, the Chinese have merged into the world, by hosting the Games with all their heart, cheering for all the players, sharing their laughters and tears and idolizing the world's common heroes.

The Games feel so much better and the world so much smaller, as the whole world watched Phelps and Bolt making history in Beijing.

While Chinese youngsters openly voice admiration for Phelps on the Internet, many others are pondering over what Chinese athletes should learn from Bolt, the naughty 22-year-old who grimaces at TV cameras and prefers sleeping late and chewing chocolate nuggets to training.

Bolt was even criticized by some Chinese spectators for "taking the Olympics too light-heartedly". He slowed down at the end of his 100m sprint to check if he was still ahead and punch his chest in joy before finishing in record-breaking 9.69 seconds last Saturday. Even his shoelaces were not fastened. "I was just having fun, that's me," he said.

The Jamaican "Lightning" certainly took Wednesday's 200m final more seriously. With both shoelaces fastened, he concentrated on the race to finish in 19.30 seconds, beating the previous mark by 0.02 seconds.

But the naughty guy was there joking with his coach, scratching his head for fun and grimacing at camera lens while everyone else was quiet and nervous before the race.

In addition to all his physical advantages and gift for running, Bolt's relaxed state of the mind and readiness to enjoy the Games are equally important in his double crown.

Had Liu Xiang taken the Games easier and vented his anxiety with jokes and grimaces like Bolt, his foot injury might not have worsened on the eve of Monday's competition, and he would not have to pull out.

The legendary 110m hurdles champion at Athens in 2004 was once known for his showy personality, with a sense of cold humor and absolute confidence.

Yet with the expectations of 1.3 billion people, Liu leads a life far less exciting than his peers: forever training, no family life, chatting with friends occasionally online.