Rio in Review
Amidst an Olympic games plagued with detrimental conditions and concerning headlines, the United States thrived in Rio this past August, raking in a staggering 121 medals, 46 of which were gold. In Rio, veterans such as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt continued to cement their legacies as all-time greats, while many rising stars came onto the scene such as gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky.
After hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup before the Olympics, riots flooded the impoverished streets of Rio. Controversy swelled in the months leading up to the opening ceremony due to the incomplete infrastructures, alarming risks of the Zika virus and heavily polluted water that plagued the strife. To make things even more interesting, a report came out in mid July claiming that Russia had been running a state-wide doping program for years. As a result, the World Anti-Doping Agency proposed issuing a blanket ban for all competing Russian athletes; however, the International Olympic Committee made a final ruling of allowing 271 athletes to compete, just over two-thirds of all eligible Russian competitors.
The U.S. women’s soccer team, reigning FIFA World Cup champions, had an abrupt halt to their dominant run in Rio, losing in the quarterfinals to Sweden in a shootout. Another U.S. superstar team that expressed instability was the men’s basketball team. The group was projected as a heavy favorite despite missing veteran players such as LeBron James and a long list of all-stars including NBA mvp Stephen Curry. The United States struggled to survive in the early rounds, edging out Serbia 94-91 and Australia 98-88. However, as things began to click for the young group, it cruised to a comfortable 96-66 win in the gold medal match against Serbia.
Michael Phelps did the unthinkable, again, adding five more gold medals to his untouchable resumé of 23 gold and 28 medals overall, double the amount of any other swimmer. Throughout Phelps’ final journey of Olympic prowess, teammate and rival competitor Ryan Lochte’s own fame unfolded, but in a very different light.
In a bizarre series of events, Lochte and three other US swimmers claimed that they were robbed at gunpoint by Rio police imposters. However, later evidence and video footage showed that the intoxicated athletes had actually been stopped by security guards for urinating on a nearby gas station and vandalizing the facility’s bathroom. The unfolding incident was quickly referred to as “Lochte Gate” and all four commercial sponsors of his severed ties with the swimmer as a result of his actions and handling of the situation.
Alongside these two household names, Katie Ledecky became a swimming sensation overnight. Medaling in all five of her events, Ledecky won four gold and one silver. One of her most notable events was the 800m freestyle, which she finished 11.38 seconds ahead of the next fastest swimmer in the pool, silver medalist Jazz Carlin, a victory margin that is generally unheard-of in the modern swimming era. Ledecky’s time also shattered her own world record by nearly two seconds, clocking in at 8:04.79.
The other 19-year-old female to take Rio by storm was USA gymnastics phenom Simone Biles, who took home four gold medals. For her first Olympic appearance ever, Biles is already debated as one of the greatest Olympic gymnasts of all time. Biles came to Rio as the heavy favorite having won the past three world championships and didn’t disappoint, medaling in every event at the games. But above all else, what separates Biles from many of the greats is that she continues to perform acts never done before. Her signature floor routine “the Biles” consists of a double back layout with a half twist and exceeds most exercises seen in the history of the sport. It’s Biles’ consistency and excellence that makes teammates such as Aly Raisman tell USA Today, “Even when the coaches talk to us, they’re like, ‘Don’t even count Simone. She’s just in her own league.’”
With Biles bore the U.S. flag out of Maracana Stadium for the closing ceremony, the world was able to watch all-time greats conclude their fairy tale endings beside young athletes who completed milestone in their promising careers. In the games, filled with triumph, heartbreak and everything in between, the Olympics may have been just what Rio needed, bringing life to a city that had all odds against it.