The 2016 Rio Olympics certainly did not disappoint with big performances from the likes of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt who is the most successful swimmer and track athlete respectively in history. There were also shock performances such as Justin Gatlin’s 200m run which ended his quest for a medal in the semi-finals. Now, read on for our choice of 5 Athletes who Smashed it at Rio that met and exceeded expectations!
1. Michael Phelps
Phelps pretty much cleaned up at Rio winning gold in all his events barring one in which he was ousted by Joseph Schooling.
Phelps was aiming to be the greatest Olympian of all time and by the climax of the Olympics he achieved that goal by amassing 5 gold medals and 1 silver medal in Rio alone making that 28 Olympic medals overall. He is undoubtedly the greatest Olympian of all time with nothing left to prove -hopefully now he can enjoy retirement.
2. Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt did the treble treble. Winning 3 gold medals at 3 Olympics in the 100m, 200m and the 400m relay which is unprecedented!
No Olympic or World Records where achieved this year by Bolt but nevertheless he won each of his races with such ease that there was never any serious competition on his tail. 9 gold medals out of 9 is what he has achieved in the Olympic Games and a feat that is unlikely to ever be replicated.
3. Max Whitlock
Max Whitlock created history when he became the first ever British gymnast to win a gold medal in the pommel horse and the men’s floor events. He famously beat Louis Smith in the pommel horse to the gold but a double gold medal for Max is the pinnacle of his career so far and he’s definitely promoted and raised the gymnastics profile to a wider British audience.
4. Simone Biles
Biles won 4 gold medals and a bronze in the women’s gymnastics. She was the standout performer in gymnastics but everybody knew her talent long before the Olympics. The gold medals were expected, but she delivered class performances well and truly like a world class athlete only can.
5. Joseph Schooling
For me Joseph Schooling caused the biggest shock of the whole Olympics by defeating Michael Phelps in the 100m Butterfly for his first Olympic medal.
This achievement was made greater by the fact that Phelps was his childhood hero and he even had photographs with the great man when he was a child. May this be the uprising of a future star or was it just a fluke victory for Schooling, let’s see if he tidal forces against his competition again!
We think these 5 athletes met expectations and exceeded them too. For Phelps and Bolt this has been their last ever Olympics, whilst for Whitlock, Biles and Schooling they have a couple more in the tank as they look to solidify ‘legendary’ statuses of their own. Stay tuned!
