Rio gave us a very special Olympics, breathtakingly lovely, utterly unique and undeniably successful.
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The aim of the modern Olympics was to spread the message of harmony and brotherhood through sports, but many complain that the fierce competition and commercialism in sports today have extinguished the Olympic spirit.
In such fine company, sore losers stand out more than they would outside of the feel-good Olympic bubble. Here are some of the important takeaways from the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Doping was a big issue once again at the games. After Rio was awarded the Games in 2009, the Brazil economy fell into a devastating recession, greatly complicating the task of preparing venues and infrastructure. Brazilians feared worldwide humiliation if the Games failed.
“I was a little unsure about it. But at the same time it’s authentic, when I do speak of it”, she said. I don’t think either of us woke up and thought that that was going to be our day, or our race, or our Olympic Games.
Bezerra, who is pursuing a Ph.D.in architecture, believes the effort and cost of staging the Games were worth it.
“Overall, I think everybody liked it”. “That’s been a real journey for me in the past year”.
That doesn’t necessarily make me a bad person. I apologized and went on my way. Russian swimmer Yuliya Efimova, who was banned for 16 months in 2013 for steroid use, was booed heartily whenever she competed. In general it was safe. We also watched as the diving pool mysteriously changed color, Ryan Lochte sparked an global incident at a gas station, and how some Olympians at the top of their sport crumbled under pressure or were sidelined by injury. PV Sindhu, Lalita Babar and other female athletes have similar stories to share.
After the two collided in the women’s 5000m in the Rio Olympics on August 16, 2016, American Abbey D’Agostino and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin both helped each other finish.
Hamblin and United States 5000m runner Abbey D’Agostino stand side by side to share the joy of their support for each other. But the knee D’Agostino limped on to the finish line was found to have a torn ACL and a strained MCL, according to USA Track & Field.
Ideally the Olympics spreads hope in seemingly hopeless places. American Lilly King beat Efimova, who she earlier called a drug cheat, in 100 meter breaststroke and then gave her the cold shoulder.
“Since the night of the opening ceremonies, I have been so touched by this-people from all corners of the globe, embracing their unique cultures, yet all uniting under one celebration of the human body, mind, and spirit”, she added.
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Over the course of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Americans shattered records and made history, including Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Allyson Felix and Ibtihaj Muhammad. Her eyes got damp as she talked about D’Agostino.
