But if we are going to carve out a special tax break for Olympic athletes, then we should add to that list all those people who serve for the good of society, including educators, social workers and people who work with the poor. But when Simone Biles returns home she will be in for not just a major celebration but also a hefty tax bill.
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As the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro come to an end, the Chinese delegation’s “failure” seems to be a foregone conclusion.
Olympics communicatons director Mario Andrada speaks at a news conference in Rio.
Another factor of this amateur rule is that those who competed in earlier Olympics weren’t able, barring unusual independent wealth, to train full time. It’s been a rocky road for the Brazilian team so far – starting with two draws against non-powerhouses South Africa and Iraq but following with shutout wins over Denmark and Colombia.
“It’s how you want to make it look like”, Lochte said. Ironically it is the silver medal that has eluded New Zealand athletes over the years, having picked up just 18 prior to these Games, in contrast to 42 golds and 39 bronzes. The guy’s already a legend. American swimmers get a large number of golds in relays, because the US has dominated. He’ll probably earn plenty more cash in endorsements after all the Olympians leave Brazil.
This had big consequences for the careers of many athletes.
Ranking: Silver. Lochte’s persona only makes it easier to meme all of #LochMess.
World champion and two-time European champion Bianca Walkden, competing in taekwondo today, is another favourite to win Great Britain gold this weekend.
But no-one thought he would bag the top spot for his routine on the floor – and yet he did that too, making him Team GB’s first Olympic gymnastics champion, ever. It went viral, and her joy-filled reaction wasn’t a fluke, however; it turns out Yuanhui is always amazingly emotive, providing some of the most joyous and uninhibited moments of the Games.
China’s team consisted of women’s singles gold and silver medallists Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia as well as Liu Shiwen, who was omitted for the singles despite being the world’s number one ranked player.
Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell became the first swimming finalist for the English-speaking Caribbean at the 2004 Athens Olympics, when he placed third in his semi-final of the men’s 200m individual medley at the Aquatic Centre.
Even in table tennis, where China still reigns supreme, and in which it used to boast a huge following, the performance is subtly but steadily getting weaker. “Four of our team members are Olympic newcomers”. Image source: NBC Sports. While the title of “world’s best athlete” is his again, it’s really the world’s fastest man (100 meters) who draws most of the marketing dollars. Case in point: when Bolt turned and smiled for photographers as he finished his race and his opponents struggled to catch up.
Take the 200 meters, for example.
Ranking: Gold. Give this man a gold for posing for a photo that was just begging for the flawless caption. Bolt’s victory came four days after he won the Olympic 100m gold medal, defeating long-time rival Justin Gatlin by eight hundredths of a second. Seeing le Clos looking sideways at Phelps mid-race should serve as a reminder to all of us to mind our own business.
When this year’s games began in Rio, state media lamented the lack of golds on the opening day, but Chinese sports fans stayed nonchalant. “I’m just honored to get a gold medal”.
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Cartoons of Fu smiling and sticking her tongue out have gone viral on messaging apps as emojis, as has video of her finding out she’d won bronze from a TV interviewer after she’d blamed her “short arms” for letting her down.
