The story of Usain Bolt and 50 most telling photos from Rio 2016

The spirit of the Olympics

The story that sums up the 2016 Olympic Games for many is what happened between New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin and USA’s Abbey D’Agostino in their 5,000 metre semifinal race. First, there was a collision that saw both of the athletes falling to the ground. D’Agostino helped Hamblin to her feet, and the two continued with the rest of the field.

Then, tragedy struck, as D’Agostino clutched her legs and collapsed, brought down by cramps. Hamblin stopped in her tracks, helped the American to her feet, and ran alongside her till a wheelchair was brought. Neither of them won gold, silver or bronze, but they were both awarded with the Pierre de Coubertin medal for exhibiting the true spirit of the Olympics.

Kristin Armstrong etched her named as a legend with her third gold medal in the Women’s Road Cycling Time Trial event, finishing the race in excruciating circumstances. Returning from retirement for a second time, the 43-year-old American was bleeding from the nose towards the end of her race and showing signs of exhaustion.

As she crossed the finish line, she collapsed on the road in tears as her son came up to be with her. She said later, with a touch of laconic humour, that she would now have to teach her son how someone can cry even after winning.

Olympics’ stage for women usually not even seen

Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin scripted history by becoming the first female medalist from Iran, bringing forth a frenzy of celebration in a country that is not used to celebrating the achievements of women. Wearing a traditional headscarf over the usual gear, Zenoorin won the bronze medal in the 57 kg taekwondo event.

Egypt’s beach volleyball team also provided a great picture, proving why the Olympics is such an important event. Up against teams like Italy and Germany, their outfits were in contrast to their opponents’. There was no disparity in the level of commitment shown or joy after points though.

Shows of passion and sportsmanship

There was a sensational finish to the Women’s 400 metre sprint, as Allyson Felix of the USA was beaten just at the last millisecond by a perfectly timed dive by Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas. The entire field was even at the last bend, and Felix was slightly in the lead as the finish line loomed. Miller put in a dive, just getting to the rope before silver medalist Felix.

There were some opinions following the race that such a dive was illegal, but no such ruling could be found in the official rulebook, and Miller was given the gold medal in one of the closest photo finish races ever.

The Women’s Badminton Singles final was an emotional affair. On one side was PV Sindhu, going where no Indian had gone before. On the other was Carolina Marin, who had got an Olympics tattoo after the humiliation of a group stage exit in the 2012 Olympics. As the match was settled in three games, Marin flung her racquet away in a moment of shock, emitting the final scream of the day. Sindhu walked over to her vanquisher and congratulated her, also showing a sporting gesture by putting Marin’s racquet near her bag.

Brazil’s first ever Olympics triumph

The final of the Football event between Brazil and Germany was a special occasion for a number of reasons. Held on the second last night of the Games, it was an unofficial closing event for many. The hosts Brazil were facing Germany, at the scene of the crime where they had been dismantled 7-1 in the World Cup semifinal in 2014.

Maracana Stadium was bathed in yellow for the end-to-end clash, in a match that saw several attempts strike the posts and the bar. It was Neymar who slotted in the last penalty kick of the shootout, collapsing to the ground in tears immediately afterwards. The whole Brazil team piled up on top of him, and the whole stadium would have followed suit too if they could have.

Neymar – the hero of Brazil’s first ever Olympics gold medal in the nation’s favourite game.