Every four years, all the world’s problems seem to be put on hold while we all come together for the Summer Olympic Games. This is a time to celebrate athletes worldwide and their accomplishments while also throwing in some friendly competition, and the sweet reward of victory – an Olympic medal.
For two weeks, the competition rolled on in the quest to bring honor to the athlete’s home countries. The United States did not lack these athletes, who brought in a whopping 121 medals, which is the highest medal count out of all the countries that participated in the Olympics.
A new household name that has been sweeping the United States is that of the new gymnastics all-star, Simone Biles. She brought home four gold medals and one bronze as she wowed the world with her virtually flawless floor routines. In her first run at the Summer Olympics, Simone received a 15.966 on her floor routine, which is almost perfect, especially for a 19-year-old rookie Olympian.
Michael Phelps, a seasoned Olympian, never fails to disappoint at the games. This go around, he surprised the world with purple circles all over his body. He has been using the Chinese method of “cupping”. This method has become more and more popular with athletes because the process releases tension on muscles to ease aches and pains. This method definitely worked for him because he brought home five gold medals and one silver medal. Rumored to retire after his historic Olympic run in Beijing in 2008, it is obvious that Phelps has not slowed down.
Another rookie Olympian that shook the world, and especially the United States, was NC State student and swimmer Ryan Held. Ryan was the last swimmer in the Men’s 400-meter freestyle relay and brought the team to a winning finish. The NC State swimmer won his first, and currently only gold medal, bringing pride to North Carolinians and Americans everywhere.
The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were historic in so many ways. The United States won the most medals by a landslide, bringing home 46 gold medals, 37 silver medals, and 38 bronze medals. Great Britain came in second for total gold medals at 27, and China, with one less gold medal, came in third overall, but came in second for total medals with 70.
While it is sad to see the Olympics come to a close for another four years, it is exciting to welcome home our Olympians with great pride.
We look forward to another successful run in Tokyo in four years!
Sources:
http://boingboing.net/2016/07/27/olympics-to-companies-mention.html
http://www.aol.com/article/2016/08/16/gymnastics-simone-biles-wins-recor…
https://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/2016/08/08/can-extraterrestrial-…