Hitting the pool wall convincingly ahead of the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, is no mean feat. And with a new Olympic record in 100 metres butterfly!
That gold medal-winning performance from the 21-year-old swimmer from Singapore, Joseph Schooling, is to me a key highlight of the Olympics that came to a glittering finish today. I say that with a conviction that goes beyond any geographical, jingoistic constriction!
Phelps and Bolt
Phelps, who ended up with 28 medals from the last four Games, 23 of them gold, was graceful in defeat, heaping praise on Schooling in what is an embodiment of the Olympic spirit.
Then there was Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt who predictably won a triple treble (Beijing, London and Rio) to end his Olympic career with nine gold medals – 100m, 200m and 4×100 relay.
Predictable Winners and Losers
Rio produced predictable winners and some shock exits, too, as with any of the Olympics. The defeats of tennis megastars, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, come to mind. Brazil taking home its first Olympic gold in football brought joy to the hosts. Argentina flopped as it usually does in major international sporting events.
Demonstration of individual sporting excellence aside, the big winner is Brazil, showing finesse in showcasing the Olympics at its best. An event that fully embodied the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger) without letting the country’s crime scene or the Zika virus cloud it.
Splendorous Rio
What the world saw was a beautiful Rio with all its natural splendour. The television coverage was perhaps the best ever and soaking it all in with a Sony 65-inch ultra HD TV amplified it further, virtually transporting viewers to Rio.
Organising an event of this scale is a humongous task and from what I saw I can authoritatively say it could not have been done better. Very well done, Brazil!
I liked the way Brazilian authorities quickly exposed the inglorious lies of American swimmer Ryan Lochte, without letting it sully the reputation of the Games. Lochte, possibly sensing he was in for knucklehead trouble after making the wild charge of having been robbed at gunpoint, managed to escape from Rio and find himself back in his American cocoon.
Kudos to Brazil for pulling up its investigative prowess and proving with clinching evidence of how Lochte pulled up a fast one!
BBC has a brilliant report on the Rio closing ceremony. I will, therefore, not go into the details here. The most memorable moments of Rio are captured in another BBC recap.
Japan, the hosts of the 2020 Games, have a tough example to follow but I am confident they will provide the world with another great celebration of the Olympic spirit.
I have had the joy of blogging about the Games fairly regularly from the confines of my home. My posts include one on how Rio epitomised the true spirit of the Olympics!
G Joslin Vethakumar
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