Doha 2006 witnessed some stunning performances across the board which will live in memory for years to come. One, Korean teenager Park Tae Hwan, was picked out by Official Partner Samsung as the Games’ Most Valuable Player. But each day, we gave you our own. Here are the Doha 2006 élite.

Swimming sensation Park's honour of being named MVP of the 15th Asian Games was a fitting recognition of the Korean teenager’s seven medals – the most by any athlete at Doha 2006. His achievement included three gold, two of them creating new Asian records. At a Games of notable sporting excellence, Park’s performances stand out.

Friday 1 December: HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, captain of Qatar’s equestrian endurance team, who galloped his steed Malibu up the long, steep slope to light the Cauldron and bring to an end the 50,000km journey of the Doha 2006 Flame.

Saturday 2 December: Hoang Anh Tuan will go down in history as Vietnam’s first ever weightlifting medallist in 55 years of the Asian Games. Hoang won silver in the men’s 56kg division, missing out on gold by only 2kg behind China’s world champion Li Zheng.

Sunday 3 December: Chen Yanqing of China came out of retirement to set an incredible five world weightlifting records in the 58kg women’s event. The 27 year-old Olympic champion broke the snatch and clean & jerk records as well as three total records.

Monday 4 December: Just 16 years of age, He Ning took her first major individual title by scooping women’s all-around gymnastics gold. It was her second medal of the Games after taking team gold the day before.

Tuesday 5 December: 17 year-old Korean swimming sensation Park Tae Hwan doubled his gold medal tally with a stunning victory in the men’s 400m freestyle final this evening. Park claimed Korea’s only gold in the pool today, two days after he smashed his own Asian record with victory in the men’s 200m freestyle.

Wednesday 6 December: In a day of titanic effort in the Al Dana hall, Mu Shuangshuang of China was not only crowned women’s +75kg weightlifting champion, but in addition she snatched an amazing 139kg, creating a new world record in the process. Her total combined weight lifted was 317kg.

Thursday 7 December: Mohammad Al Bakhit made history by becoming the first athlete from Jordan to win a gold medal at an Asian Games. The 19 year-old won the men’s 54kg taekwondo final by a solitary point scored late in the fourth round. He put his success down to extensive training for the past two years.

Friday 8 December: Qatar’s eventing gold and silver medallist Abdulla Ali Abdulla Al Ejail was a vital part of the victorious host team of Awad Mohammed Al Qahtani, Rashid Faraj Alat Al Marri and Ali Mohammed Ali Al Marri – but also won individual silver. Al Ejail, 23, led the way with a clear round in the show jumping on horse Quinten, to add to his perfect display in cross country.

Saturday 9 December: Lebanon’s Jean Claude Rabbath won his country’s first-ever athletics gold, their first gold of Doha 2006 and made athletics only the fourth sport they have won gold in – all in one jump. What chance of Beirut commissioning a gold statue of their high-jump hero? If they could find a way to keep it on the ground, that is…

Sunday 10 December: Qatar’s Daham Najm Bashair surged past world champion Rashid Ramzi after the final bend to take gold in the men’s 1500m, nipping ahead of Ramzi’s fellow Bahraini Belall Mansoor Belal by just two one-hundredths of a second. Defending Asian Games champ Ramzi settled for bronze.

Monday 11 December: Japan were heading for another rugby sevens final defeat until Akihito Yamada guaranteed himself hero status in the Land of the Rising Sun with his last gasp gold medal-winning try. His effort denied Korea a third straight Asian Games crown, condemning them to a heartbreaking 27-26 defeat. Joy and pain – it’s what sport is all about.

Tuesday 12 December: Two points behind, five seconds left, and with an expectant nation watching his next move it would have been understandable if Erfan Ali Saeed had wavered under the pressure. Saeed didn’t, stepping up and showing nerves of steel to sink the two free throws that kept Qatar in the hunt for basketball gold.

Wednesday 13 December: He won two tennis doubles gold medals back to back today after an exhausting schedule and all the while nursing an injured finger. Leander Paes secured his fourth Asian Games gold this evening. He is the most successful Asian Games singles and doubles tennis player, with four gold, and two bronze medals. He is a well deserving recipient of our ultimate accolade: athlete of the day. We suspect he’s just as happy with his two gold medals. Not bad for a day’s work.

Thursday 14 December: Two golds, four perfect 10s and just 15 years-old, Lin Yue of China pulled out this perfect performance late in Thursday’s 10m platform diving final, when he was just behind the competition leader and needed an excellent score to pull ahead. He did it in no uncertain terms and soared into the lead and the gold medal. Lin Yue clearly feels no pressure, cool hand Yue it is!

Friday 15 December: Who else could today’s athlete be than Qatar’s very own Bilal Mohammed Rajab? Bilal, the man who scored the winning goal in Qatar’s 1–0 gold medal defeat of Iraq in front of a packed Al-Sadd Stadium, will be the happiest man in spite of the fact that he really just happened to be in the way of the ball at the right time. But a goal is a goal, a win is a win and a gold medal lasts for ever. Qatar will be eternally grateful that Bilal’s head was where it was, when it was.