- Michael Phelps made a strong case for being considered the greatest Olympic athlete in history.
- Usain Bolt made a strong case for being the greatest athlete in history by becoming the first person in history to three-peat gold medals in the 100m run.
- Simone Biles demonstrated why she is significantly better than any gymnast in history.
- The American swim team turned in one exciting performance after another with a tremendous contribution from both male and female athletes.
- Katie Ledecky left the competition in the dust (maybe in another time zone) while smashing her own world record in the 800m freestyle swim.
- Ally Raisman put together a heartwarming comeback and defeated her nemesis to claim silver in the all-around gymnastics competition.
- The tiny nation of Fiji took the gold medal in their favorite sport of rugby.
But my favorite moment of the Rio Olympics so far was watching Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa shatter Michael Johnson's long-standing world record in the 400m run. I watched in disbelief when Johnson set that record in 1999. It was so much faster than the previous record (also set by Johnson).
Van Niekerk dropped the record from 43:18 to 43:03 while running in the outside lane, an unenviable position from which no one had ever won an Olympic medal before. History has made before our very eyes.
Next up, I am looking forward to watching David Rudisha of Kenya defend his Olympic Gold Medal in the 800 meter run.
Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South
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