The 31^st Olympiad has just ended, and much has happened over the past couple of weeks. Amidst all the action and excitement from the games, here are 10 things that we learnt from Rio 2016:

1. Phelps is not the great Olympian: There is a difference between most decorated and the greatest. Phelps’s 23 gold medals (28 total) is a phenomenal record and probably one that won’t be beaten for a long time to come, but he does compete in a sport where he has a greater number of opportunities to win medals than other sports. Some Olympians only get the chance to win 2 or 3 medals maximum due to the nature of their sport. I don’t want to take anything away from Phelps because he is one of the greatest and put in a career defining performance at Rio, but for me, Usain Bolt is the greatest Olympian of all time after winning the “treble-treble” in such convincing style. Bolt has been untouchable his entire career, and is undoubtedly the fastest man ever. His immortality and sheer dominance over just nine seconds of sprinting is almost unfathomable. Besides one slip-up in 2004, when he failed to win a medal in the 200m (because he was injured and only 17 years-old, a very young age for a sprinter), he has never been stopped or even challenged on the Olympic stage. Bolt is an Olympic immortal that nobody could ever get the better of, which leads me to my next takeaway…
2. Irreplaceable Usain Bolt: Usain Bolt has said that this is his last Olympics, and with that, there is a larger-than-life sized hole that needs to be filled in the world of Track and Field. No athlete has been as equally dominant and entertaining on the track in the way that Bolt has. Images of him smiling as he cruises to yet another 100 m title, banging on his chest before even crossing the line in Beijing, jogging during the 200 m heats at Rio, and his signature pose are all images that are ever synonymous with the Olympics for any person who has had the opportunity to watch these past twelve years. Phelps’s angry face at Le Clos sure is brilliant meme material, but nothing compares to the showboating of the Jamaican. Bolt made running fun and exhilarating again, and it’s such a shame to see him step away from the sport.
3. The 4 foot 8 inch giant: Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time, and quite possibly the best female athlete ever in terms of pure dominance over her sport. Because gymnastics is a sport that is almost physically impossible to do at an Olympic level past the age of 22, it is uncertain if we will see Biles again, but boy did she shine when she stepped up to the world stage in Rio. Unbeaten in all world championships since turning 16, Biles backed up that dominance with five medals, four being gold. She essentially fell on the beam and still managed to get third; that’s how talented she is. She may only be 4’8 but Biles is a monumental figure for the world of gymnastics and is without a doubt the greatest of all time.
4. Fantastic Fiji: At Rio 2016, Fiji obtained their first Olympic medal as a nation when they claimed gold in the men’s Rugby. Untouchable throughout the tournament, they crushed Great Britain in the final, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them win with such grace, passion, sportsmanship, and pure jubilance that I long to see in every athlete. They exemplified true sportsmanship and the spirit of the Olympics on their quest to greatness and national recognition.
5. Pointless Lifeguards: While many people will question whether it’s worth having certain Equestrian events or women’s basketball in the Olympics, there is nothing more pointless about the Olympics than the lifeguards at the swimming events. No matter how useless you may feel at any point in your life, you can also know that you have more importance than the person tasked with protecting Olympic caliber swimmers from drowning.
6. Russia…?: Even with many Russian athletes banned from the event due to drug related issues, the games didn’t suffer any significant drop in quality, and were still just as competitive and enjoyable. The IOC should have been braver in issuing bans and I hope that we will see more rigorous action taken in the future to reduce the amount of doping amongst Olympic athletes.
7. Emergence of Team GB: The team normally dubbed as the “plucky losers,” Team Great Britain followed up their display in London with another stunning Olympics, going head to head with China in terms of gold medals and total medals won. For a country that won only 15 medals (one gold) in Atlanta 1996, winning 60+ medals in back to back Olympics is incredible. Looks like we have a new rival for Japan, China and Russia.
8. Rio Shouldn’t Have Hosted: Amongst all the sanitation problems, especially the soon-to-be iconic green diving pool, Rio was simply not a suitable city to host these Olympic games. While they weren’t a complete mess like some people feared, they did more harm than good for the city and country of Brazil overall. While I appreciate the IOC wanting to have various world cities host the Olympics, I believe that every Olympics should be held in Athens. It’s the birthplace of the games and Athens deserves to be a mecca for the sporting world. With one consistent venue, we won’t have to worry about abandoned Olympic villages being left behind every four years, corruption within the IOC, or any economic backlash of countries needing to build stadiums to host events when the money could be going elsewhere.
9. Some New Sports: Every year there are groups of people who claim that certain sports should be added to the Olympic schedule. Some of these claims are completely ludicrous (I’m looking at you cheerleaders), but there are definitely some sports that need to be added in 2020. The sports are as following: 1) Doubles Fencing (because how awesome would two on two sword fighting be) 2) Dodge ball (if Olympic badminton can be as epic as it is, imagine how amazing dodge ball would be) 3) Darts (it’s simply the best sport to watch live and it needs more appreciation than it gets) 4) Beach Tug of War (imagine the testosterone levels!) 5) Co-Ed Beach Volleyball (if it works in tennis it’ll work in beach volleyball) and 6) Beach Soccer (the men’s soccer tournament isn’t worthwhile, but beach soccer would make the games far more interesting). I’ll be expecting these additions soon, IOC.
10. Magic of the Olympics: Every four years, the world comes together in a celebration of the athletes that seemingly do the impossible. People, old and young alike, are bewildered and amazed by the feats achieved by these individuals in an awe-inspiring way unlike anything else. The Olympics, when it’s all said and done, are a truly magical experience for everyone involved. Nothing brings more inspiration and hope to a global audience than watching dreams transform into reality. The Olympics display unparalleled emotion and intensity that no other sporting event can generate across an international setting. Rio 2016 brought us images and memories that will last a lifetime. We may have our complaints about the Olympics, but I’m sure we can all agree: 2020 can’t come soon enough.