Athletics got the hero it has been craving for years when Usain Bolt lit up the Bird's Nest with his brilliance, his 100m victory ensconced as one of the images of the 2008 Olympic Games.

After years of one depressing doping scandal after another, the Games began with many leading figures warning that athletics was in real danger of alienating its fans forever and with it, losing its place as the heart and soul of the Olympics.

Bolt's stunning performances, and the excitement of the build-up to his races, ensured that, for sprinting at least, things are looking good.