Unsurprisingly, most of the domestic focus at the Olympics has centred on the British competitors who have contributed to a record medal haul. But the Games has also witnessed some superb performances from those from further afield. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson selects the Olympics' ten biggest overseas stars

Usain Bolt

The Jamaican superstar shrugged off any doubts about his fitness and focus with a string of superlative displays in both the 100m and 200m.

His 100m triumph on Sunday was a display of effortless pace and power, while last night's 200m success was every bit as emphatic. With the 4x100m relay final still to come tomorrow night, Bolt has once again been the stand-out star of the Games.

Michael Phelps

The greatest swimmer of all time created history when he took his overall Olympic medal tally to 22 – 18 of them gold – here in London.

His success as part of the 4x200m relay team made him the most successful Olympian in history, but it was his triumph over Ryan Lochte in the 200m individual medley final that was surely his best of the Games. His haul of four golds and two silvers made him the most successful swimmer of the meet for the third Olympics in a row.

Missy Franklin

While Phelps is coming towards the end of his career, Franklin is still at the start of hers, but the 17-year-old's four gold medals lit up the pool throughout the first week of the Games.

She triumphed in the 100m and 200m backstroke, 4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay, setting two new world records in the process. Amazingly, she says she will continue to turn down prize money and endorsements so she can continue to swim in college.

Katie Taylor

She arrived in London with the weight of the Irish nation on her shoulders – she departs as one of her country's all-time sporting greats.

Taylor lit up the Olympics' first-ever boxing tournament with her lightning-quick movement and powerful punching, and got her reward when she won the lightweight final yesterday. Some doubted whether women boxers were good enough to grace the Games. Taylor ended the debate once and for all.

Tirunesh Dibaba

While we have fallen over ourselves to congratulate Mo Farah in the wake of his men's 10,000m success, the rest of the world has been equally effusive about Dibaba's victory in the women's equivalent.

A dual gold medallist in Beijing, the Ethiopian deserves to be recognised as one of the greatest female runners of all time, and her display as she won her final on Saturday was as dominant as any at the Games so far.

Michele Frangilli

Imagine the pressure. It's the opening day of the Olympics and after a lengthy team archery competition, the final between Italy and the United States comes down the final arrow, with the former needing a perfect ten to win.

Frangilli was charged with the task of firing it, and duly stepped up to find the bullseye and earn Italy one of the surprise gold medals of the Games. In terms of nerveless perfection, nothing else has come close.

Ye Shiwen

Forget the whispering about possible irregularities, nothing has been proven. Instead, simply admire the two magnificent performances Shiwen produced to claim the 200m and 400m individual medley titles in the first week of the Games.

Her 400m IM display was especially remarkable as she shattered the world record and produced a final leg of freestyle that was almost as good as the one that propelled Ryan Lochte to gold in the same event. At the age of 16, it is frightening to think what the Chinese swimmer might go on to achieve.

Mahe Drysdale

He is a New Zealand sporting legend and widely recognised as one of the greatest rowers in the world. But while Drysdale boasted five single sculls world titles prior to these Games, he had never claimed an Olympic gold.

Until now. Despite admitting to being sick in the build-up to his single sculls final, such was the extent of his nerves, he produced a masterful performance to lead from start to finish. For all the British success at Eton Dorney, few victories were as uniformly well received.

Gabby Douglas

A dual gold medallist in gymnastics' individual and team all-around competitions, 16-year-old Douglas wowed the crowds at the North Greenwich Arena with a string of captivating displays. Perhaps more significantly, she also became the first black gymnast in Olympic history to become invidual all-around champion.

Her performance was pretty much faultless, and she was the top-scoring competitor in both the vault and balance beam of the individual competition.

Anna Meares

It might not have been the result that most of the crowd in the velodrome wanted, but when Anna Meares beat Victoria Pendleton in the individual sprint final on Tuesday, she had the final say in an individual rivalry that had been as fierce as any in sport.

She had a first-leg defeat overturned by the judges in the final, but her display in the second leg, as she came to a standstill to force Pendleton to the front, was tactically brilliant. Her praise for Pendleton, who was riding in her final race, was equally impressive.