Usain Bolt finished off his triple-triple – three Olympics, three golds in each in the 100 meters, 200 and 400 relay – for Jamaica, in what he has said was his last Games.
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Brazilian Robson Conceicao, who drew the biggest crowd of any boxer in Rio when he won the lightweight gold, said his life had changed forever. With five medal wins on Sunday’s final day of the Games – gold from the men’s basketball team, boxer Claressa Shields and freestyle wrestler Kyle Snyder, and bronze from marathoner Galen Rupp and the men’s volleyball team – the United States finished with 46 gold medals and 121 medals overall. Snyder, the youngest wrestling world champion in USA history, is now the sport’s youngest Olympic champion in US history.
Shields had won the first three rounds 10-9, 10-9, 10-9, but the fourth was closer, with two of the three judges giving it to her Dutch opponent even though the American felt she had been in complete control. After she was presented with her gold medal, the Flint, Mich., native pulled out her 2012 medal atop the podium.
Retaining Claressa Shields, now a two times women’s middleweight champion at the age of 21 and full of confidence, will be important going forward to Tokyo 2020.
Fazliddin Gaibnazarov defeated Azerbaijan Lorenzo Sotomayor in the light welterweight final to become the third Uzbekistan boxer to win gold in the games. “I just can’t believe it”, she said.
Shields was fantastic in her repeat bid.
She sang along to the national anthem, then raised both gold medals for all at Riocentro Pavilion 6 to see.
Uzbekistan’s boxers took a single medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games – a bronze – but at Rio 2016 they were among the contenders in nearly every category and won seven medals, more than any other country.
It was another hugely impressive display of aggressive boxing from Shields, who also displayed a speed and agility that made her a hard target for the powerful Fontijn. But as the fight went on, we just told her, “Enjoy this!”
MEN’S MARATHON: Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya grabbed the lead around the 21-mile mark and finished off his first Olympic victory in a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 44 seconds.
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Shields flashed her two golds. I want to see my sister and my little brother and I guess I’ll be back in training in a month or two. “I really can’t dwell on what I didn’t get”. Uzbekistan won two golds. Shields said. “She got to knock me out but I knew she couldn’t do that because I’ve got a great chin”. I don’t want to wake up right now.
