by Sportswriter Ma Xiangfei
HONG KONG, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Opened with a spectacular in Victoria Harbor and closed with memorable moments, the 5th East Asian Games Sunday saw the curtain drawn on the regional sports meet that can truly "be the legend" for hosts Hong Kong SAR, China.
International pop stars Sunday joined the farewell gala with the Chinese Orchestra in Hong Kong Coliseum for a unique international rendition of the Hong Kong EAG theme song "You Are The Legend".
In keeping with closing ceremony tradition, the Chinese special administration region passed the EAG baton to the Chinese city of Tianjin which will host the next Games in 2013.
"The Games were unforgettable. Hosts Hong Kong together with all the other delegations created a legend," said Chinese chef de mission Duan Shijie.
Nine days have passed since a creative opening ceremony that was given a gold medal by the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge for its uniqueness and creativeness.
Just to confirm how accurate the Chinese idiom "double happiness at the door" was, host BMX rider Steven Patrick Marie Josee Wong was awarded the first gold medal of these Games on the same day.
After competitions in 22 sports with 262 gold medals granted, China retained its throne in the quadrennial events, amassing an overwhelming 232 medals, including 113 gold, 73 silver and 46 bronze to leave second-placed Japan well behind with 62 gold, 58 silver and 70 bronze.
South Korea was still the third, as was it in the previous four editions, in 39, 45 and 59.
The fourth to ninth went to Hong Kong of China, Chinese Taipei,Macao of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Guam whose sole bronze medal was bagged by Gilbert Anthony Carbullido Pascua in men's under 62kg taekwondo event.
Among about 2,300 athletes, megastar athlete Liu Xiang was sure to be the jewel in the crown as the 26-year-old Chinese conquered both the 110m hurdles in a class of his own and the hearts of many fans in Hong Kong and beyond.
His ease on his favorite lane 3 at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground and his big grin after the 13.66-second victory all passed an ensuring information that the former world and Olympic champion had walked out of shadow of his shock withdrawal from last year's Beijing Olympic Games.
Returning from the one-year layoff after the surgery on his right Achilles' tendon, Liu said he would take time to find his old form.
"I am working hard just for one goal -- to run within 13 seconds," said the former world record holder, who set the 12.88 seconds world mark in 2006 world champion shps before it was shaved off one hundredth of a second by Cuban Dayron Robles two years later.
For Chinese sports officials, however, protecting Liu from another injury was the priority.
"I only have two requests for Liu. The first one is to keep his healthy public image and the other one is not to get injured again," said Duan.
Sharing the limelight was diving queen Guo Jingjing who was also a popular figure here but in a quite different way.
Local media were more interested in her personal life than her sporting excellence, backed up by four Olympic and 10 world championships gold medals.
Her reported romantic relationship with Kenneth Fok, older son of Hong Kong Olympic Committee president Timothy Fok, remained the hottest topic during these Games, to which Gup chose to keep silence.
Guo, paired up with Wu Minxia, romped to the 3m synchronized springboard gold as China's "dream team" swept all the 10 diving titles on offer in the Kowloon Park Swimming Pool.
Also in the water, swimmers from China and Japan combined to take 39 titles as Cheng Wan-Jung from Chinese Taipei took the remaining one in the 40-event swimming tournament, in women's 400mindividual medley.
Thirty six Games records were thrashed by swimmers while just three new Games marks were set in athletics, where China walked away with a bulk of 26 titles, Japan with 16, South Korea with two and the DPR Korea and Chinese Taipei had one each.
