After 17 days of some of the most intense athletic competition in history, the 2016 Olympic Games came to a close last night.  Going into it, there were all kinds of question marks as to whether or not Brazil would actually be able to pull off these games.  For 17 days the world watched, and witnessed some fantastic performances.

Among those performances was that of the U.S. women’s 100m hurdlers.  Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali, and Christi Castlin accomplished the first ever sweep in that event by collecting gold, silver and bronze!  Going into the race, it was deemed possible, but did not become a reality until it was determined by photo that Castlin had in fact edged out one of her rivals for the bronze.  BRAVO LADIES!!!

In the women’s 4x100m relay, it was a surreal experience to say the least.  In the qualifying rounds the women actually dropped the baton during he 2nd exchange between Allyson Felix and English Gardner.  As it turns out, Felix was bumped by a Brazilian runner while trying to make the pass.

As a result, the Brazilian team was DQed and the U.S. was given a 2nd chance.  But instead of being automatically placed in the final, the U.S. women had to run on the track by themselves and beat the #8 qualifier, China, in order to get in the final.  Needless to say, they did it and successfully defended their title from the 2012 London Olympics.  As a result, Allyson Felix won here fifth Olympic gold medal, the most by any woman in Olympic track and field history.  But she wasn’t done yet.

In the women’s 4x400m relay, the women were attempting to win their 6th straight Olympic final in this event.  And the team of Courtney Okolo, Natasha Hastings, Phyllis Francis, and Allyson Felix were definitely up to the task.  Felix took the baton with the lead on the anchor leg with Jamaica hanging close.  But as she made the turn for home, she turned on that finishing kick and anchored the team to the gold medal.

That victory gave Allyson Felix her 6th gold medal and 9th overall in the Olympic games.  Felix says that this is probably her last Olympic games.  She will go down in history as the most decorated female in Olympic track and field history.

After not receiving any medals in the men’s 200m event, the men’s 110m high hurdles, the men’s 4x100m relay team finishing 3rd and then subsequently being DQed for making a pass outside the zone, it was up to the men’s 4x400m team to make up for a lackluster performance on the track.  The team of Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts and LaShawn Merritt did just that.

After losing to the Bahamas in 2012, in an event that the U.S. has virtually owned for 3 decades, it was revenge time.  Arman Hall started it off, and the team never looked back.  Giving Merritt a sizable lead that he stretched even further is he powered home down the stretch.

The U.S. Women’s basketball team won gold for the 6th consecutive time, destroying every challenger on the way.  When you talk about dynasties, you have to bring up U.S.A. Women’s basketball.  What began in 1996, doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

After routing their first 2 opponents and then struggling with the last 3 in the preliminary rounds, the U.S. men’s basketball team finally got it together, winning their 3rd straight gold medal in a route of Serbia.  This was considered by many to be the “B” team, but in the end, they are still the best players in the world.