Rio Olympics was witness to the feats of two of the greatest Olympians – Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt -- who might not return to participate in the Olympics again. It also saw the rise of gymnast Simone Biles who had fought all odds to win four gold medals in Rio. It had many glorifying moments, including gold medal winning moments of legendary Mo Farah and Brazil’s football team. Here ISN brings before you the top five performances at Rio Olympics that will burn into the memories of sportslovers for years to come:
Michael Phelps (Swimming)
Twenty-eight Olympic medals, 23 of them gold. Sixty-three races in five consecutive Olympic Games. Thirty-nine world records, seven of them still standing. If records do not lie, Michael Phelps is undisputedly the most dominant Olympian of all time. He picked five gold and a silver in Rio, his fifth and final Games. Coming into the event with 18 Olympic gold medals under his belt, Phelps, the most-decorated Olympian of all time, added five more yellow metals to his embellished career. The US swimmer's career ended with his 23rd gold medal in the 4x100 medley relay. “This all started and began with one little dream as a kid that changed the sport of swimming and tried to do something nobody else has ever done. And it turned out pretty cool. This is how I wanted to finish my career. I've lived a dream come true,” said Phelps.
Usain Bolt (Athletics)
He even makes fastest man on the planet look average. Destined to be greater than the greatest, he came, he saw and he conquered. Usain Bolt drew down the curtain on his brilliant Olympic career by securing a sweep of the three sprint titles in Rio when Jamaica successfully defended the 4x100 metres relay crown. He made history by winning the 'triple triple' and his ninth gold, the maximum by any track and field athlete – Carl Lewis and Paavo Nurmi being the other two. Two days before his 30th birthday, Bolt ran the anchor leg as the Jamaicans won in 37.27 seconds to add the relay gold to his 100 metres and 200 metres titles. Earlier, Bolt won the 100 metres final with a timing of 9.81 seconds to become the first man to win three successive Olympic titles on the track. He followed it up with 200 metres gold, crossing the line in 19.78 seconds. “There you go, I'm the greatest. It's a brilliant feeling. It's been a long road. I'm happy, but I'm relieved. It's great to be in the history books as one of the greatest. I'm proud of myself,” said Bolt after winning the relay gold.
Simone Biles (Artistic Gymnsatics)
Adversity brings the best out of you provided you are prepared to fight and Simone Biles had all the qualities to fight the odds that came her way. Hers is a triumph of dogged determination; a tale of grime, guts and glory. She overcame a troubled childhood – born to an alcohol and drug addicted mother, Shannon Biles – and became only the fifth woman to win four gold at the same Olympics, joining Hungarian Agnes Keleti (1956), Soviet Larissa Latynina (1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (1968) and Romanian Ecaterina Szabo (1984). With four gold and a bronze in gymnastics, 19-year-old Simone Biles stamped her class and authority at the Rio Games and is for sure the most popular champion of the 2016 mega event. “It's been a long journey. “I've enjoyed every single moment of it. I know our team has. It's been very long in competing so many times. It got tiring. But we just wanted to end on a good note. The atmosphere in the arena was amazing and for everyone to cheer and chant along, it gets you more pumped to do your routines, and more adrenaline. So it's very exciting,” said Simone.
Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
She became the new swimming sensation by claiming five medals -- four gold and one silver – in Rio. The 19-year-old American swimmer is the first Olympian since Debbie Meyer in 1968 to win the 200m, 400m and 800m free titles in one Games. The 800m defending champion dominated at this year's Games, setting a new world record in the 800-meter freestyle. She led from the start and stretched out the gap over her opponents to finish in eight minutes, 4.79 seconds, beating her previous mark, set earlier this year, by almost two seconds. She also won the gold in 4x200m freestyle relay and a silver in the 4x100m relay. “It feels great when all the hard work pays off. I set some pretty big goals a couple years ago and I didn't know if they would be attainable, but I met them right on the nose and that's the best feeling I think any swimmer could have,” said Katie.
Katinka Hosszu (Swimming)
Dubbed the ‘Iron Lady’ on account of her stamina, 11-time world champion Katinka Hosszu of Hungary followed up her comfortable victory in the 400m individual medley by beating USA’s Kathleen Baker to 100m backstroke gold with a time of 58.45. Earlier, Hosszu smashed the 400m individual medley world record with a timing of 4:26.36 to land the gold medal that had always eluded her. Hosszu, who has 11 long and short-course world titles, remarkably had never won an Olympic medal in three previous Games. However, Hosszú was simply sensational in the Games, picking up three gold and one silver at Rio. Her third gold came in the women's 200m individual medley. “I'm so excited to get the gold I can't even believe it. I'm just very excited. I can't believe I have three golds,” she said.
