The "Olympics dream" of the migrant workers end where those of elite athletes like weightlifter Long Qingquan begin - on Aug 8 when the Games open. Long, a 17-year-old hailed as a "prodigy" by the state media, won gold in the men's 56kg category at the Games. To prepare for the Olympics, he and hundreds of top Chinese athletes trained seven days a week at a secret training base south of the city centre. China was under immense public pressure to top the medal table, and its athletes did not disappoint, delivering 51 gold, 21 silver, and 28 bronze medals. The 100-medal haul made China the first Asian country to ever top the Olympics medal tally.