The 17-day extravaganza which was the Rio Olympics 2016 has come to end with the United States contingent bringing home a mammoth 121 medals including 46 gold medals. We have seen the emergence of bright young talents who will wow us in the years to come but that doesn’t mean the veterans disappointed.
Some of the greatest athletes in the history of the Games put in truly Herculean efforts and came away with the gold to reward their four-year preparations. We have seen World Records and Olympic Records shattered as some of the most decorated athletes of all-time tried their hardest to bid goodbye with one final push to get onto the podium.
Here are 10 legendary athletes who have competed at their last Olympic Games
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Michael Phelps
The greatest athlete of all-time. Aquaman himself. Or just simply, Michael Phelps. The USA swimmer is the most decorated Olympian in the history of the Games, as he took his tally to a staggering 28 medals.
Phelps enjoyed a remarkable comeback to the pool following his bout with depression post the 2012 London Olympics. The swimmer put on a swimming clinic at Rio winning 5 gold medals in the Men’s 4x200 freestyle relay, 200m butterfly, 4x100 medley relay, 4x100 freestyle relay, as well as the 200m individual medley. His only “disappointment” was a silver medal in the 100m butterfly.
Also Read: Michael Phelps insists he is not staging another comeback
Despite coming back from retirement after London 2012, Phelps is adamant that we won’t be making another comeback this time around. We have well and truly seen the last of Michael Phelps.
Usain Bolt
Move over, Flash. Usain Bolt is without a shadow of a doubt, The Fastest Man Alive. There were doubts cast over Bolt’s form and fitness in the build-up to the Olympics, but the Jamaican was quick to dispel those claims with a terrific performance in Rio.
The now 30-year-old (following his birthday on 21 August) brushed the competition aside to become the first ever “triple-triple” runner in history as he won gold in the Men’s 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. Bolt has maintained for years now that he will retire after the World Championships in 2017 so Rio 2016 may very well have been Usain Bolt’s swansong.
Venus Williams
As Venus Williams approaches the twilight of her glittering tennis career, she will look back at Rio 2016 with a little regret. She crashed out of the Women’s doubles in Round 1 with sister, Serena, but managed to put in a strong showing in the Mixed doubles event where she took home a silver medal.
The elder Williams sister has enjoyed great success at the Games, collecting 4 gold medals – the Women’s doubles in Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, and London 2012, as well as the Women’s singles in Sydney. She is one of the rare singles and doubles “double” winners in tennis and has been a real force in Olympic tennis for well over a decade.
The 36-year-old is well and truly on her last legs though and her silver in Rio is almost certainly her last showing at the Olympics.
Lin Dan
Lin Dan is amongst the very best in the world of men’s badminton and will be severely disappointed to leave Rio 2016 without a medal to his name. The man from China endured heartbreaking losses to Lee Chong Wei in the semi-final followed by Viktor Axelsen in the bronze medal match.
The southpaw is an Olympic legend following his back to back gold medal wins in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and was in with a real shot of completing an unprecedented three-peat until his three-set loss to Lee Chong Wei.
The 32-year-old has said that he hasn’t decided on whether he will retire from the Olympics or not, but considering he is nearing 33, it is hard to see “Super Dan” make an appearance in Tokyo.
Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra will forever hold a special spot in the heart of every Indian as he provided a performance for the ages in the 2008 Beijing Olympics to win India’s first – and only – individual gold medal at the Games – 1st place in the 10m air rifle (60 shots) men.
The shooter – the Indian contingent’s flag bearer in the Opening ceremony – performed admirably in Rio and was eliminated in truly heartbreaking fashion as he lost a tie-breaker to finish in fourth place and miss out on a podium finish.
Bindra had announced his retirement going into the Games and while the loss must sting, this is goodbye for India’s greatest individual Olympian.
Sir Bradley Wiggins
Sir Bradley Wiggins is one of the most-decorated British athletes in the Olympics and he got himself the perfect retirement gift as he took home gold one final time by winning the Team pursuit cycling event with Team Great Britain – shattering the World Record in the process.
“Wiggo” has enjoyed continued success at the Games, racking up 8 medals – including 5 golds – making him one of the few rare cyclists to win in both road cycling and track cycling.
While the 36-year-old says he regrets saying he will retire after Rio with how much he’s enjoying cycling right now, it is nonetheless a final decision.
Mo Farah
Mo Farah is one of the most celebrated names in long-distance running and celebrated a historic “double-double” when he won gold at both the Men’s 5,000m and 10,000m for in Rio. Farah is the first Brit to win both the events when he took gold in London 2012 and was able to break Africa’s stranglehold on the podium places for long-distance running.
The 33-year-old has announced his plans to retire after the 2017 World Championships and he will be sorely missed when Tokyo 2020 rolls around.
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal needs no introduction. One of the all-time great tennis players has also enjoyed a lot of success at the Olympic Games. Despite being hindered by injuries for a significant portion of the year, Nadal was able to battle through adversity and bag his second Olympic gold medal by winning the Men’s doubles event with Marc Lopez. He also came agonising close to winning a bronze medal in the singles event, falling short against Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-final and then Kei Nishikori in the bronze medal match.
Nadal’s greatest Olympic achievement though was back in Beijing 2008 where he won gold in the Men’s singles tournament, firmly cementing his legacy as one of the greatest tennis players to ever grace the court.
The 30-year-old’s constant problems with injury though have really hurt him and the Spaniard is unlikely to return to the Games in Tokyo 2020.
Tamika Catchings
Basketball is one event where the USA dominate on a regular basis and it is even more so in the Women’s event. Tamika Catchings is one of the all-time great basketball players and she proved it yet again, leading her country to yet another gold medal in Rio 2016.
She has been a constant in the side for over 10 years, collecting Women’s basketball gold at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012.
The 37-year-old announced her retirement from the sport and will go down as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Robert Scheidt
Despite a disappointing performance in Rio 2016, Robert Scheidt will go down as one of the greatest sailors in the history of the sport. Sailing in both the Laser and Star categories during his long and illustrious Olympic career, Scheidt accumulated 5 medals across 6 Olympic Games.
He won the Laser gold in Atlanta 1996 as well as Athens 2004, the Laser silver in Sydney 2000, the Star silver in Beijing 2008 and finally the Star bronze in London 2012. Despite not winning a medal in Rio, he remains one Brazil’s most successful Olympians of all time.
The 43-year-old is at the tail-end of his career and is unlikely to return in Tokyo 2020.
