By the time Kylie Minogue sang to a packed-out Hampden Park at last night’s closing ceremony, Usain Bolt had left. He was vaguely en route to his next glitzy assignment: a run on Copacabana Beach. There is no criticism intended in that observation. But however pleased we were that Jamaica’s superman had called in, sprinkling his particular brand of stardust, he was not the only reason why the 20th staging of the Commonwealth Games was a success. No, Glasgow 2014 will live in the memory - if readers north of the border will forgive me - for its  London fervour. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Glasgow see out 'outstanding' Commonwealth Games . Celebrity name: Usain Bolt won gold at the Commonwealth Games but there were plenty of other stars . I don’t think it is fantastical to say that the 2012 Olympics awakened in the British a deep mass desire to watch sport en masse with a warm, celebratory air. Look at the depth and spirit of the crowds as the Tour de France snaked its way through England last month. So it was here. Stadiums were largely full, even for heats. The weather, which began scorchingly hot but turned depressingly wet, was barely a deterrent. Yesterday in near-apocalyptic conditions, folk huddled under umbrellas and banged the hoardings as a fabulous cycling road race unfolded. The usual debate every four years is whether this funny amalgam of countries and territories thrown up by a shared history can gather to play games together for much longer. That is a question that has faded here over 11 days of sport, and that is a significant tribute to what Glasgow has done. How different from when the last time the Games came to Scotland, in Edinburgh in 1986. Thirty-two African and Caribbean countries stayed away in protest at Britain’s links with South Africa. In 1986, the stars were Daley Thompson, Lennox Lewis, Steve Redgrave, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Linford Christie and Adrian Moorhouse. Was the 2014 roster up to snuff by comparison? Big shoes to fill: Can the class of 2014 replicate the success of the likes of Linford Christie (pictured) and Daley Thompson . We cannot yet be entirely sure. That depends who trains on, but in many spheres the competition was strong (there are two billion people in the Commonwealth), if not uniformly on the track. The withdrawal of Mo Farah through illness was a major blow to the credibility of the athletics  programme. The absence of Jessica Ennis-Hill and the pretender to her throne, Katarina Johnson-Thompson was another. However, we were still treated to several good races and a wonderful men’s 800m between the two outstanding performers in the world, David Rudisha of Kenya, the Olympic champion and world record holder, and Botswana’s Nijel Amos, who ran him down. Still, Rudisha came out with credit, such was the grace with which he took defeat. The Bolt show was fun as far as it went. He only ran in the 4x100m relay, but everyone who was in Hampden on those two nights will, when husky-voiced, tell their grandchildren they saw the great man in the flesh. Big moment: Spectators crammed in Hampden Park to watch the Jamaican relay team win gold at the Games . VIDEO Glasgow see out 'outstanding' Commonwealth Games . On the subject of Hampden, what a triumph it was as an athletics track. It housed 44,000 people after a conversion that cost £14million. A serious question: do we need to spend so much money building white-elephant stadiums around the world when we could adopt the Hampden model? There are other fine memories from these Games. All 4ft 6in of little Bristolian Claudia Fragapane announcing herself as the heir to Beth Tweddle. Her splendid floor routines made her the first English woman - she is 16 - to win four gold medals at one Games since Joyce Cooper in the first in 1930. Jodie Williams ran cleanly to take a fine silver medal behind the statuesque Jamaican Blessing Okagbare. That augurs well for Rio 2016. Other English talents to emerge were Tin-Tin Ho, a 15-year-old table tennis player, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, an 18-year-old swimmer, and Matthew Dixon, a 14-year-old diver. For England, the Games were a triumph. With 174 medals, including 58 golds, England surpassed Australia for the first time since Edinburgh 28 years ago. Scotland, importantly as hosts, had their most successful Games: 53 medals, including 19 golds. Ditto Wales, with 36 in all, five of them gold. Roll on Rio. Spectacular send off: Glasgow waved goodbye to the Commonwealth Games with an incredible closing ceremony at Hampden Park on Sunday evening . Let us not forget the little heroes who make the Commonwealths what they are. Did anyone represent this spirit of these Games better than the crowd who roared Rosefelo Siosi, of the Solomon Islands, on his final three laps of the 5,000m because he was running slower than a drunk coming out of a Saltmarket pub? The saddest moment of the Games came from weightlifting, where a Nigerian girl of just 16 tested positive for diuretics and masking agents. It is no exaggeration to call it a form of child abuse. But at Hampden last night we celebrated all that is best about these Games. Next stop four years from now, the Gold Coast. Hence Kylie. It was almost all over when the little lady sang. That was a shame. It was fun while it lasted. VIDEO Glasgow a 'stand-out Games' - Hooper .
Usain Bolt was not the only one to steal the show at the Games .
Athletes such as David Rudisha and Nijel Amos also impressed .
The Commonwealth Games came to an end on Sunday evening .
By the time Kylie Minogue sang to a packed-out Hampden Park at last night’s closing ceremony, Usain Bolt had left. He was vaguely en route to his next glitzy assignment: a run on Copacabana Beach. There is no criticism intended in that observation. But however pleased we were that Jamaica’s superman had called in, sprinkling his particular brand of stardust, he was not the only reason why the 20th staging of the Commonwealth Games was a success. No, Glasgow 2014 will live in the memory - if readers north of the border will forgive me - for its  London fervour. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Glasgow see out 'outstanding' Commonwealth Games . Celebrity name: Usain Bolt won gold at the Commonwealth Games but there were plenty of other stars . I don’t think it is fantastical to say that the 2012 Olympics awakened in the British a deep mass desire to watch sport en masse with a warm, celebratory air. Look at the depth and spirit of the crowds as the Tour de France snaked its way through England last month. So it was here. Stadiums were largely full, even for heats. The weather, which began scorchingly hot but turned depressingly wet, was barely a deterrent. Yesterday in near-apocalyptic conditions, folk huddled under umbrellas and banged the hoardings as a fabulous cycling road race unfolded. The usual debate every four years is whether this funny amalgam of countries and territories thrown up by a shared history can gather to play games together for much longer. That is a question that has faded here over 11 days of sport, and that is a significant tribute to what Glasgow has done. How different from when the last time the Games came to Scotland, in Edinburgh in 1986. Thirty-two African and Caribbean countries stayed away in protest at Britain’s links with South Africa. In 1986, the stars were Daley Thompson, Lennox Lewis, Steve Redgrave, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Linford Christie and Adrian Moorhouse. Was the 2014 roster up to snuff by comparison? Big shoes to fill: Can the class of 2014 replicate the success of the likes of Linford Christie (pictured) and Daley Thompson . We cannot yet be entirely sure. That depends who trains on, but in many spheres the competition was strong (there are two billion people in the Commonwealth), if not uniformly on the track. The withdrawal of Mo Farah through illness was a major blow to the credibility of the athletics  programme. The absence of Jessica Ennis-Hill and the pretender to her throne, Katarina Johnson-Thompson was another. However, we were still treated to several good races and a wonderful men’s 800m between the two outstanding performers in the world, David Rudisha of Kenya, the Olympic champion and world record holder, and Botswana’s Nijel Amos, who ran him down. Still, Rudisha came out with credit, such was the grace with which he took defeat. The Bolt show was fun as far as it went. He only ran in the 4x100m relay, but everyone who was in Hampden on those two nights will, when husky-voiced, tell their grandchildren they saw the great man in the flesh. Big moment: Spectators crammed in Hampden Park to watch the Jamaican relay team win gold at the Games . VIDEO Glasgow see out 'outstanding' Commonwealth Games . On the subject of Hampden, what a triumph it was as an athletics track. It housed 44,000 people after a conversion that cost £14million. A serious question: do we need to spend so much money building white-elephant stadiums around the world when we could adopt the Hampden model? There are other fine memories from these Games. All 4ft 6in of little Bristolian Claudia Fragapane announcing herself as the heir to Beth Tweddle. Her splendid floor routines made her the first English woman - she is 16 - to win four gold medals at one Games since Joyce Cooper in the first in 1930. Jodie Williams ran cleanly to take a fine silver medal behind the statuesque Jamaican Blessing Okagbare. That augurs well for Rio 2016. Other English talents to emerge were Tin-Tin Ho, a 15-year-old table tennis player, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, an 18-year-old swimmer, and Matthew Dixon, a 14-year-old diver. For England, the Games were a triumph. With 174 medals, including 58 golds, England surpassed Australia for the first time since Edinburgh 28 years ago. Scotland, importantly as hosts, had their most successful Games: 53 medals, including 19 golds. Ditto Wales, with 36 in all, five of them gold. Roll on Rio. Spectacular send off: Glasgow waved goodbye to the Commonwealth Games with an incredible closing ceremony at Hampden Park on Sunday evening . Let us not forget the little heroes who make the Commonwealths what they are. Did anyone represent this spirit of these Games better than the crowd who roared Rosefelo Siosi, of the Solomon Islands, on his final three laps of the 5,000m because he was running slower than a drunk coming out of a Saltmarket pub? The saddest moment of the Games came from weightlifting, where a Nigerian girl of just 16 tested positive for diuretics and masking agents. It is no exaggeration to call it a form of child abuse. But at Hampden last night we celebrated all that is best about these Games. Next stop four years from now, the Gold Coast. Hence Kylie. It was almost all over when the little lady sang. That was a shame. It was fun while it lasted. VIDEO Glasgow a 'stand-out Games' - Hooper .
particular brand of stardust, he was not the only name: Usain Bolt won gold at the Commonwealth world, David Rudisha of Kenya, the Olympic Nijel Amos, who ran him down. Still, Rudisha came Glasgow waved goodbye to the Commonwealth Games Park on Sunday evening . Let us not forget the