Rio Olympics: The good, the bad and the weird of a thrilling Games
After 16 days of drama,
excitement and scandal, the Telegraph's sports writers in Rio look back
on their best and worst moments of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Oliver Brown: Michael Phelps – 23 gold medals? There is no understating Phelps’ colossal body of work in the pool. No other Olympian, in any sport, has even reached double figures.
Jim White: Alistair Brownlee, his victory in the triathlon so accomplished, it was never in doubt from the moment he dived into the sea on Copacabana beach.
James Corrigan: Usain Bolt. What will athletics do without him? He's the ultimate showman who lit up the Olympic Stadium. It would have been practically dead otherwise.
Athlete of the Games
Paul Hayward: Usain Bolt, judged in part on Rio’s reaction to him. Nine golds from nine finals over eight years. Easy decision.Oliver Brown: Michael Phelps – 23 gold medals? There is no understating Phelps’ colossal body of work in the pool. No other Olympian, in any sport, has even reached double figures.
Jim White: Alistair Brownlee, his victory in the triathlon so accomplished, it was never in doubt from the moment he dived into the sea on Copacabana beach.
James Corrigan: Usain Bolt. What will athletics do without him? He's the ultimate showman who lit up the Olympic Stadium. It would have been practically dead otherwise.
Tom Cary: Simone
Biles. Beats Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps et al on the basis that she was
a relative unknown. Nothing more thrilling than watching a new
superstar announce themselves on the world stage.
Simon Briggs: Simone Biles, whose floor routines drew total incredulity – to the point of laughter – from many onlookers. She was also full of smiles, even after a rare misfire in the beam final.
Jonathan Liew: Katie Ledecky. An unassuming freak of nature who doesn’t just win races, but destroys them. Swimmers aren’t supposed to win Olympic finals by 11 seconds.
Ben Rumsby: Usain Bolt. No argument. Forget Michael Phelps and his 23 gold medals for getting from one end of a pool to another in four different ways, the 'triple-triple’ is the greatest feat in Olympic history.
Daniel Schofield: Michael Phelps. The superlatives ran out a long time ago, but to have come out of retirement and win five gold medals at the age of 31 may be his greatest achievement yet.
Ben Bloom: It must be Simone Biles. The tiny American came to Rio relatively unknown outside of her sport and left as a superstar.
Simon Briggs: Simone Biles, whose floor routines drew total incredulity – to the point of laughter – from many onlookers. She was also full of smiles, even after a rare misfire in the beam final.
Jonathan Liew: Katie Ledecky. An unassuming freak of nature who doesn’t just win races, but destroys them. Swimmers aren’t supposed to win Olympic finals by 11 seconds.
Ben Rumsby: Usain Bolt. No argument. Forget Michael Phelps and his 23 gold medals for getting from one end of a pool to another in four different ways, the 'triple-triple’ is the greatest feat in Olympic history.
Daniel Schofield: Michael Phelps. The superlatives ran out a long time ago, but to have come out of retirement and win five gold medals at the age of 31 may be his greatest achievement yet.
Ben Bloom: It must be Simone Biles. The tiny American came to Rio relatively unknown outside of her sport and left as a superstar.
Unexpected pleasure
Paul Hayward: Hearing athletes speak out on doping, even if some of their arguments were flawed. The old omerta was part of the problem.Oliver Brown: Olympic football – As an Olympic purist, I used to regard football as an incongruous interloper at the Games. But the joy of watching Brazil before a full house at the Maracana changed my mind.
Jim White: Women’s freestyle wrestling, and the discovery of just how terrifying seven stone Azerbaijani women can be when the result doesn’t go their way.
James Corrigan: Cycle road race. The scenery was spectacular but the action was even more eye-catching as the competitors were wiped out down that brutal descent.
Tom Cary: Women’s Sevens. Wasn’t convinced Sevens was an Olympic sport. Totally wrong. Great tournament, great stories, very high skills levels on both the men’s and women’s side.
Simon Briggs: The Fijians gave Great Britain a towelling in the final of a magnificent rugby sevens tournament, but their gold medal was such a brilliant story that few begrudged them.
Jonathan Liew: Golf. A beautiful course, decent crowds and two high-quality finishes. Even the most curmudgeonly of curmudgeons was won over.
Ben Rumsby: Seeing Joe Clarke win gold in the canoe slalom. I arrived there expecting another fourth place at best but witnessed shock meltdowns by Clarke’s rivals as he went from guaranteed bronze to silver to gold in a matter of minutes.
Daniel Schofield: Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge, the World No 22 pairing, winning bronze in the badminton. Such a shame their accomplishments got slightly lost in a blizzard of medals.
Ben Bloom: Repeatedly watching the video of Haitian hurdler Jeffrey Julmis showboat prior to his 110m hurdles semi-final only to plough straight into the first barrier. Look it up. It’s brilliant.
Oliver Brown: Max Whitlock – Reticent as a character but captivating as a gymnast. It had been 44 years since a Briton won two golds on the same day. Whitlock did it in two hours.
Jim White: Jonny Brownlee, gracious in his brother’s shadow, endlessly self-effacing and the most brilliantly ordinary extraordinary person you could ever encounter.
James Corrigan: Justin Rose. No player was more bullish about golf's return in the build-up than Rose and no player would have been a more appropriate winner.
Ben Rumsby: Seeing Joe Clarke win gold in the canoe slalom. I arrived there expecting another fourth place at best but witnessed shock meltdowns by Clarke’s rivals as he went from guaranteed bronze to silver to gold in a matter of minutes.
Daniel Schofield: Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge, the World No 22 pairing, winning bronze in the badminton. Such a shame their accomplishments got slightly lost in a blizzard of medals.
Ben Bloom: Repeatedly watching the video of Haitian hurdler Jeffrey Julmis showboat prior to his 110m hurdles semi-final only to plough straight into the first barrier. Look it up. It’s brilliant.
My British hero
Paul Hayward: Justin Rose. You might be thinking: golf?! But from the most unlikely starting point Rose showed what the Olympics are about – wanting to be there.Oliver Brown: Max Whitlock – Reticent as a character but captivating as a gymnast. It had been 44 years since a Briton won two golds on the same day. Whitlock did it in two hours.
Jim White: Jonny Brownlee, gracious in his brother’s shadow, endlessly self-effacing and the most brilliantly ordinary extraordinary person you could ever encounter.
James Corrigan: Justin Rose. No player was more bullish about golf's return in the build-up than Rose and no player would have been a more appropriate winner.
Tom Cary: So
many to choose from but I’ll go with Jason Kenny as he would never put
himself forward. Three golds in Rio to equal Sir Chris Hoy on six
overall.
Simon Briggs: Non Stanford, who saw her flatmate and best friend Vicky Holland pip her to triathlon bronze but still managed to be gracious and supportive afterwards.
Jonathan Liew: Bradley Wiggins. His team pursuit gold was a collective effort, but driven above all by Wiggins’ murderous shifts on the front and a sheer refusal to lose.
Ben Rumsby: Max Whitlock. If anything at these Games has the chance of prising children off away from the screen and into a sports club it is the superhero-like exploits of Britain’s double gold-medal winner.
Daniel Schofield: Adam Peaty. The man who got the ball rolling by twice demolishing his own world record in the 100m breaststroke.
Ben Bloom: With so many multiple medallists, it is hard to choose just one but Max Whitlock pips Mo Farah for propelling his sport into the public conscious.
Simon Briggs: Non Stanford, who saw her flatmate and best friend Vicky Holland pip her to triathlon bronze but still managed to be gracious and supportive afterwards.
Jonathan Liew: Bradley Wiggins. His team pursuit gold was a collective effort, but driven above all by Wiggins’ murderous shifts on the front and a sheer refusal to lose.
Ben Rumsby: Max Whitlock. If anything at these Games has the chance of prising children off away from the screen and into a sports club it is the superhero-like exploits of Britain’s double gold-medal winner.
Daniel Schofield: Adam Peaty. The man who got the ball rolling by twice demolishing his own world record in the 100m breaststroke.
Ben Bloom: With so many multiple medallists, it is hard to choose just one but Max Whitlock pips Mo Farah for propelling his sport into the public conscious.
Favourite venue
Paul Hayward: Copacabana and Ipanema for the cycling road races, triathlons etc. Old Rio: the antidote to the faux Florida of Barra.Oliver Brown: Lagoa – A stunningly-framed venue for the regatta, overlooked by Corcovado Mountain and Christ the Redeemer. A touch superior to Eton Dorney in the aesthetic department.
Jim White: Copacabana beach front, looking out across the azure sea to the rain forest covered islands; for the cycling, marathon swim and triathlon there could not have been a better back cloth.
James Corrigan: Gil Hanse, the famous architect, did an incredible job on the Olympic Golf Course and we can only pray this stunning layout is used by more than the upper class.
Tom Cary: The velodrome created a great atmosphere but it could have been anywhere in the world. The opening day road race, starting at Copacabana Fort and travelling along the Rio coastline, was jaw-droppingly spectacular.
Simon Briggs: Copacabana Beach for the beach volleyball. There was not an inch of space while home favourites Agatha and Barbara were taking out the USA in the semi-final.
Jonathan Liew: The
beach volleyball on Copacabana. A sumptuous Atlantic vista and a
raucous home crowd. Shame it poured with rain for the final.
Ben Rumsby: The velodrome or, as I like to call it, the Thunderdome. Not as hedonistic as at London 2012 but still managed to produce a great atmosphere.
Daniel Schofield: Copacabana. The open-water event was pretty much a marine based equivalent of Gloucestershire cheese-rolling but the panorama of the Copacabana will never be beaten as a spectacle.
Ben Bloom: The Beach Volleyball Arena epitomised what everyone had hoped the Rio Games would be. Packed to the rafters with vociferous locals on Copacabana Beach, this was Rio at its best.
Oliver Brown: The settings. Never has an Olympics, perhaps not even Sydney’s, been so wonderfully photogenic. I could have stayed in the beach volleyball press box on Copacabana all day.
Jim White: The scenery: what a city this is.
James Corrigan: The backdrop was breathtaking, whether it be the beaches, the hills, or some of the architecture. It is a city which deserves far better than it is getting.
Tom Cary: The natural setting. Rio has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. When you were down in Copacabana at the beach volleyball, and there were loads of people, it was brilliant.
Ben Rumsby: The velodrome or, as I like to call it, the Thunderdome. Not as hedonistic as at London 2012 but still managed to produce a great atmosphere.
Daniel Schofield: Copacabana. The open-water event was pretty much a marine based equivalent of Gloucestershire cheese-rolling but the panorama of the Copacabana will never be beaten as a spectacle.
Ben Bloom: The Beach Volleyball Arena epitomised what everyone had hoped the Rio Games would be. Packed to the rafters with vociferous locals on Copacabana Beach, this was Rio at its best.
The best thing about Rio...
Paul Hayward: The people. Not conned by their politicians, or by Olympic rhetoric, but still warm and increasingly enthusiastic as the Games wore on.Oliver Brown: The settings. Never has an Olympics, perhaps not even Sydney’s, been so wonderfully photogenic. I could have stayed in the beach volleyball press box on Copacabana all day.
Jim White: The scenery: what a city this is.
James Corrigan: The backdrop was breathtaking, whether it be the beaches, the hills, or some of the architecture. It is a city which deserves far better than it is getting.
Tom Cary: The natural setting. Rio has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. When you were down in Copacabana at the beach volleyball, and there were loads of people, it was brilliant.
Simon Briggs: The
extraordinary passion that greeted any home athlete. Even when the
crowds were small, they could still generate a Spector-esque wall of
noise.
Jonathan Liew: As at every Olympics, it’s the people. And above all, the tireless volunteers who work incredibly long hours for, essentially, a sandwich and a T-shirt.
Ben Rumsby: The absence of zika-bearing mosquitoes. They were a big fear before the Games but predictions the winter months would cull their numbers proved correct.
Daniel Schofield: I never found the people to be anything less than friendly and generous in the face of an embarrassing sense of entitlement from some sections of the media.
Ben Bloom: Volunteers as helpful and smiley as London four years ago, spectacular backdrops to many events and incredible sporting feats.
Oliver Brown: Traffic. At times Carioca life seemed paralysed in permanent gridlock. Bus drivers did their best, but one became so lost I thought we heading for the Uruguayan border.
Jim White: The food at venues, paying customers were obliged to eat what appeared to be the by-product of the local sewage treatment works.
James Corrigan: The disconnect between the public and the Games. It was overpriced both in the tickets and the staging. Hard not to wonder what exactly the benefit was for Rio.
Jonathan Liew: As at every Olympics, it’s the people. And above all, the tireless volunteers who work incredibly long hours for, essentially, a sandwich and a T-shirt.
Ben Rumsby: The absence of zika-bearing mosquitoes. They were a big fear before the Games but predictions the winter months would cull their numbers proved correct.
Daniel Schofield: I never found the people to be anything less than friendly and generous in the face of an embarrassing sense of entitlement from some sections of the media.
Ben Bloom: Volunteers as helpful and smiley as London four years ago, spectacular backdrops to many events and incredible sporting feats.
The worst thing about Rio...
Paul Hayward: Rampant inequality, which explains most of the city’s problems. But it’s hardly alone there.Oliver Brown: Traffic. At times Carioca life seemed paralysed in permanent gridlock. Bus drivers did their best, but one became so lost I thought we heading for the Uruguayan border.
Jim White: The food at venues, paying customers were obliged to eat what appeared to be the by-product of the local sewage treatment works.
James Corrigan: The disconnect between the public and the Games. It was overpriced both in the tickets and the staging. Hard not to wonder what exactly the benefit was for Rio.
Tom Cary: The lack of crowds at venues. When you weren’t in town with all the throngs it sometimes didn’t feel much like Brazil.
Simon Briggs: The lack of any local flavour around Barra and the main Olympic Park. That area of the city transmitted a soulless vibe that felt reminiscent of Dubai.
Jonathan Liew: The public apathy. Rio didn’t want this Olympics, and Olympics only really wanted Rio’s money. Cue empty seats and a city-wide shrug of the shoulders.
Ben Rumsby: The empty seats, which have been a symbol of everything that is wrong about Brazil’s staging of a Games which have caused at least as much harm as good.
Daniel Schofield: A photo finish between the presence of Russian athletes and empty stadiums – both a result of the avarice and supineness of the International Olympic Committee.
Ben Bloom: The general apathy among locals towards the Olympics, as could be seen by the lack of crowds at the majority of venues. The food at every venue was also shocking.
Oliver Brown: Sailing. Officials would never countenance dropping a sport that has been part of the Olympic programme since 1896, but it still makes for the least engaging spectator experience.
Jim White: Golf. It worked triumphantly in Rio, playing to big crowds in a lovely setting with a fine winner. But it should never have been in the Games in the first place.
James Corrigan: Modern Pentathlon. It's ridiculous that a ludicrous "sport" such as this is included and squash is kept on the outside. Pierre de Coubertin is to blame.
Tom Cary: Football. OK the final was good but I forgot there was even a tournament going on until Brazil got there and a nation suddenly woke up.
Simon Briggs: Rhythmic gymnastics – it’s basically ballet with hoops and ribbons.
Simon Briggs: The lack of any local flavour around Barra and the main Olympic Park. That area of the city transmitted a soulless vibe that felt reminiscent of Dubai.
Jonathan Liew: The public apathy. Rio didn’t want this Olympics, and Olympics only really wanted Rio’s money. Cue empty seats and a city-wide shrug of the shoulders.
Ben Rumsby: The empty seats, which have been a symbol of everything that is wrong about Brazil’s staging of a Games which have caused at least as much harm as good.
Daniel Schofield: A photo finish between the presence of Russian athletes and empty stadiums – both a result of the avarice and supineness of the International Olympic Committee.
Ben Bloom: The general apathy among locals towards the Olympics, as could be seen by the lack of crowds at the majority of venues. The food at every venue was also shocking.
One sport I would ditch for Tokyo 2020...
Paul Hayward: Walking.Oliver Brown: Sailing. Officials would never countenance dropping a sport that has been part of the Olympic programme since 1896, but it still makes for the least engaging spectator experience.
Jim White: Golf. It worked triumphantly in Rio, playing to big crowds in a lovely setting with a fine winner. But it should never have been in the Games in the first place.
James Corrigan: Modern Pentathlon. It's ridiculous that a ludicrous "sport" such as this is included and squash is kept on the outside. Pierre de Coubertin is to blame.
Tom Cary: Football. OK the final was good but I forgot there was even a tournament going on until Brazil got there and a nation suddenly woke up.
Simon Briggs: Rhythmic gymnastics – it’s basically ballet with hoops and ribbons.
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