As we are all set to witness the sports extravaganza, starting in Rio from today, let’s take a look at some of the athletes who set the Olympics on fire four years ago in London, which saw a lot of records being broken, some true champions emerge and many heartbreaks. Though, it is a very difficult task to pick up the top five athletes of the Games, here is the list according to Indian Sports News, as the feat had been important for them and for their nation.
1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica): He is the fastest man in the world and there is no arguing that. Bolt was under a lot of pressure going into the mega event. People criticized him for being too loose and not being focused. His loss to his countryman Yohan Blake gave people reasons to write him off.
But what happened in the Olympics was for everyone to see. Bolt became the first Olympian in the history of the Games to successfully defend his 100m and 200m titles. Bolt outshone his opponent in what was the most amazing 100m race of all times. By doing that he proved to one and all that there is no questioning his ability and his priority.
2. Michael Phelps (USA): Michael Phelps after the London Olympics will always be remembered as the most successful Olympian of all times. Phelps had a slow start to London Olympics compared to Beijing where he won all the eight gold medals that was on offer. People started questioning whether he has lost his touch, but no one will ask that question now. Phelps ended his campaign with four gold medals and six silver medals.
He now has a total of 22 Olympics medals, most by any athlete.
3. Missy Franklin (USA): She at the age of 17 did the things that people are not able to do in their entire life-time. Franklin with four gold medals and one silver medal and was behind only Michael Phelps on the list of highest medal takers in London Olympics 2012. She also made two world records in 200 meter individual backstroke where she clocked in at 2:04:06 and the 4 x 100 meter medley which the U.S. team in which she competed clocked in at 3:52:05.
Franklin had come at a time when Phelps is on the verge of retiring and U.S. was blessed to have her.
4. Andy Murray (Great Britain): His had been a dream story in the London Olympics. Murray, just before the Olympics, had a heartbreaking loss in the finals of the Wimbledon in front of his home crowd against Roger Federer. Britain has been waiting for their Wimbledon champion from the past 75 years and Murray got agonizingly close to it.
He broke down after the match and he had good reasons for that as he coming into the Games, he was a player who played in finals of all the four Grand Slams but could not mange to win in any of them.
But Murray got her revenge as he defeated Federer in the same arena to give the people of Britain what they wanted.
5. Mo Farah (Great Britain): There was tremendous pressure on him before the race and he did deliver the goods by becoming the first Briton to win a gold medal in 10,000m.
It was a very emotional moment seeing him win the medal with the difficult times that he had seen. He in the process defeated Kenenisa Bekele from Eth.
