And American gymnast Simone Biles, the us flag bearer in the closing ceremony, kicked off her Olympic run by tying the record of four gold medals in a single Games.
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The 2016 Rio Olympics ended in a blaze of colour with an exuberant closing ceremony Aug 21 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, as Tokyo took up the baton promising to host the best Games yet in 2020.
A blustery storm, a touch of melancholy and a sense of pride converged at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympics on Sunday as Brazil breathed a collective sigh of relief at having pulled off South America’s first Games.
All officially announced the closing ceremony of 31st Olympiad few hours back, the closing ceremony is so colorful which took nearly three and half hours.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe also joined the festivities by turning into video game character Super Mario.
Rio de Janeiro: Overcast condition and continuous drizzle failed to dampen the spirit and occasion as Rio de Janeiro gave an emotional send off to the athletes from all over the planet, who had made the 31st edition of the Olympic Games overwhelming success, at the iconic Maracana Stadium on Sunday night.
It’s almost time to say farewell to Rio and look ahead to the Olympic Games in Japan in 2020.
Brazil and the world bid farewell Sunday to the first Olympic Games in South America, a 16-day spectacle that combined numerous highlight reel moments with ugly and even freakish episodes that sometimes overshadowed the competitions.
The closing ceremony of the Rio Olympics.
Then the athletes poured in under light rain, waving their flags while many shook their bodies to samba-infused pop that made the stadium feel like a Carnival parade.
Figures dressed as multi-coloured macaws flew over Rio’s world-famous landmarks, Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, before forming the five Olympic rings to start off the show.
In the midst of its worst economic recession since the 1930s, Brazil’s opening and closing ceremonies relied more on the country’s unique talents and natural beauty and less on expensive technology. Four of the medals are gold, and the other one is bronze. With the US women’s basketball team also dominating Spain 101-to-72 on Saturday to claim their sixth gold, the country has solidified its reputation as the best basketball nation. Russian Federation and Germany closed the top five on fourth and fifth place, with 56 and 42 medals in total, respectively.
Biles’ medal tally equals those of Nastia Liukin in 2008, Shannon Miller in 1992 and Mary Lou Retton in 1984 with American newspapers over the weekend describing her as the best gymnast of her time. Biles was the star of the show amongst athletes, many wanting pictures with the top female gymnast on the planet.
Another 19-year-old newcomer, Simone Biles, dominated the gymnastics arena with her record-equalling four women’s gold medals and a bronze at her first Games.
And they finished on a high as the men’s volleyball team beat Italy for gold on the closing day of the Games. Neymars game-winning penalty kick decided a shootout and clinched the mens soccer gold medal for Brazil, a host that wasnt a factor in the medal standings but got the gold that it probably wanted most.
The U.S. men’s basketball team captured the country’s final gold medal after a 96-66 blowout of Serbia.
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Competitors from Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Vietnam and Tajikistan, too, won their first Olympic titles.
