The curtains are about to be drawn on the 2016 Olympics. 207 team have participated, 2,102 medals will have been awarded, smiles for the triumphant athletes and disappointment for those missing out.
Controversial moments have occurred, but also moments that reminded us all that the Olympic spirit of sportsmanship is alive and well. Here are a few of the best moments:
Always the show-man, the lightning bolt showed his dominance during the 100m heats by posing for a photograph half way through the race, while his struggling rivals battled to hang onto his coat-tails.
Bolt: How are you going back there fellas?
Rivals: [insert caption here]
Da Silva became the darling of Brazil as she secured the country’s first gold medal with a victory in Judo. It was also a personal victory for her, as the pain of disqualification from London 2012 was replaced with uncontrollable elation.
Da Silva has become the face of the fight against inequality in Brazil having grown up in one of Rio’s most notorious favelas. Hopefully her triumph will inspire many more like her.
Superlatives to describe the incredible achievements of this 19-year-old American must now be in short supply. Her medal target of five gold medals was ‘tarnished’ by a bronze in the beam. Nonetheless, Biles still shows her inner cuteness as shown by her reaction to Zack Efron giving her a much desired kiss.
Even mega stars still have crushes.
She may not have won a medal in the women’s beach volleyball. But Doaa Elghobashy has certainly broken down stereotypes and barriers through sport. The Egyptian Olympian competed in a sport where women wear as little as possible to be aerodynamically efficient by instead wearing a hijab.
Not satisfied with winning the men’s 400m, Van Niekerk broke Michael Johnson’s 17 year World Record to show that you don’t need doping or a young athletic coach to achieve greatness. All you need is a 74-year-old grandmother to train you up.
His story will undoubtedly inspire a whole host of grandmothers out there to drop the knitting pins, and pick up some running spikes.
For the first time in Olympic history, an independent athlete won gold at an Olympic event. Since the 1992 games in Barcelona, athletes have been allowed to compete as neutrals. Faheid, from Kuwiat was forced to compete as an independent due to the suspension of his native Kuwait from the Olympics.
During his medal rostrum, the Olympic anthem and flag was raised.
There must be something about the 100m freestyle in Olympic swimming. In 2000 we had Eric ‘the eel’ Moussambani show the world you don’t have to have that much swimming experience to take part. 16 years later, Ethiopian Robel Kiros Habte, better known as Robel ‘the whale’ shows that swimming is for all body shapes and sizes.
Wonder what sea animal we will get in Japan 2020. ‘Sea Lion’?
We have been accustomed to athletes ‘dipping’ on the finishing line to to gain inches over their rivals. Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas provided a twist on this notion with her victory in the women’s 400m.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgQYvVgeTu0
It took Efe 23 seconds to knock out his opponent Nigel Paul in the men’s Super Heavy weight boxing category. It has been widely reported that Efe unleashed his anger about the socio-economic situation in his native Nigeria on his opponent.
23 seconds, that deserves a medal in its own rights. If only, Nigeria badly needs a medal to get on the medals table. Free citizenship for Fehaid Al-Deehani??
Usian Bolt might be poster face for the Jamaican Olympic team. But Elaine Thompson has put her name in the history books in lightning bolt time. Excuse the pun. She is the first since Florence Griffith Joyner at the Seoul Olympics of 1988 to win both the 100 and 200m Olympic gold medal.
