Are there any Olympics that aren’t full of memorable moments? From young athletes winning their first medals to veterans going to the podium just one more time to news and upsets no one expected, there’s no other sporting event as full of suspense and surprises than the Olympics.
The Good:
Team USA finished the games with 121 medals: 46 gold, 37 silver, 38 bronze. Events included archery, basketball, boxing, diving, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, judo, track & field, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling.
History was made by Team USA swimmers. Michael Phelps won 6 medals this year to bring his total Olympic count to 28. 19-year-old Katie Ladecky won 5 medals and set two World Records. Simone Manuel became the first African-American swimmer to win an individual medal.
A Muslim women broke barriers. As a member of the Team USA Fencing team, Ibtihaj Muhammed became the first US woman to compete (and medal) in hijab.
US shooting Olympian Kim Rhode became the first athlete to win an individual medal at six consecutive Olympic games.
Team USA dominated the Track & Field event, winning 32 medals including individual gold in Men’s Triple Jump, Men’s & Women’s Shot Put, Men’s Decathalon, and and Team Gold in Women’s & Men’s 4×400.
Team USA won gold in both Men’s & Women’s Basketball.
Team USA won gold in Gymnastics (team), and Simone Biles took home five medals (four gold, one bronze). The oldest Olympic gymnast in the history of the games, Oksana Chusovitina of Belarus, finished 7th in the Vault at her seventh Olympic Games.
The Surprises:
Venus & Serena Wiliiams were eliminated from tennis early in the competition. Another top seed, Novak Djokovic, lost in the first round.
Team USA Women’s Soccer lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout.
Gold medal swimmer Lilly King called out competitor Yulia Efimova for past doping violations and openly disagreed with the IOC’s decision to allow her to compete.
A mix-up with cleaning chemicals caused two pools to turn green, leading one to be drained and refilled only hours before an event.
The Bad:
Team USA swimmer Ryan Lochte, along with three others, lied about being robbed at gunpoint. So far, his actions that night and what followed have cost him three sponsors.
What are some of your favorite moments from the Rio 2016 Olympics?
