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31 memories from the XXXI Olympiad
Aug 21, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Simone Biles and Aly Raisman (USA) wear ponchos during the heroes of the games procession during the closing ceremonies for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Maracana. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Sports

31 memories from the XXXI Olympiad

With the Games of the XXXI Olympiad winding down, here are 31 memories that we will take from Rio.

 
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Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps
Martin Bureau/Getty Images

He sounds like he is really retiring this time, and as he does he walks off the Olympic stage the most decorated Olympian ever. And it isn't even close. He owns 23 gold medals (second place all-time is nine) and 28 overall medals and staked his claim to the greatest athlete ever. But two other reasons that Phelps may be remembered from Rio. One was his gracious second place finish to Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling -- who just won that nation's first ever Olympic gold medal. The other was ...

 
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Phelpsface

Phelpsface
Twitter via NBC

... the hashtag-ready PhelpsFace. His scowl at South African Chad le Clos during his preparation for a semifinal heat in the 200m butterfly is stuff of legend and lit a firestorm on social media. While it may never get to Crying Jordan levels, it will always be in our hearts and our Twitter feeds.

 
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Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt
Eric Feferberg/Getty Images

There have been plenty of athletes that have become stars after their exploits in track and field, but Usain Bolt is on another level. By blowing by the competition to win the 100m again, the 'World's Fastest Man' put us in awe as the only man to have done that in three consecutive Olympics. The photo of Bolt finishing his 100m semifinal heat may go down as one of the most iconic sports photos ever. Bolt also impressed by having his slowest time in a 200m final yet still blowing away the competition. His nine gold medals trails only Phelps.

 
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Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky
Clive Rose/Getty Images

Everything Katie did in Rio was unreal, but her performance in the 800m freestyle is simply mind-blowing. Not only did she dominate, set a world record and win another gold, she won that race by a full 11 seconds. Seriously. Hold your breath for 11 seconds just to see how long her dominant victory was. It's just sick! (Of course, if you start to feel sick while holding your breath for 11 seconds, just let it out and breathe.)

 
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Refugee Team

Refugee Team
Thomas Coex/Getty Images

The ovation that the ten athletes that comprised the Refugee Olympic Team was second only to host Brazil. The athletes, hailing from South Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are a reminder that there are plenty of places in our world that see humans face true struggle just to stay alive and these brave souls found a way to not only escape the horrors of their homelands but to perform and compete a sport at the highest level.

 
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Carmelo Anthony, The Nice American

Carmelo Anthony, The Nice American
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

NBA fans will go back to blasting on Carmelo Anthony when the season starts, but Melo has been the elder statesman and leader of a relatively inexperienced Team USA men's basketball team. He visited a Rio favela, playing pickup basketball games and taking in the culture of the city. Over the summer, he has taken a stance on social issues and gotten some of his high-profile NBA brethren to stand alongside him. His time in Rio shows that it wasn't just some quick thought or action: There is more to Melo than just basketball. Hopefully he'll will still find a way to play in the 2020 Games.

 
7 of 31

Ryan Lochte, The Ugly American

Ryan Lochte, The Ugly American
Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

Sadly, this is the story that will get the most run after the Olympics. The story involving four U.S. swimmers and the lie Ryan Lochte told NBC's Billy Bush started a frenzy that turned into an international spectacle involving stopped planes, a stopped taxi, a gun, some money, apologies and a poor gas station bathroom. The sad thing is something so ridiculous and unnecessary swallowed up the news feeds coming out of Rio during the Olympics' final week.

 
8 of 31

Lilly King vs. Yulia Efimova

Lilly King vs. Yulia Efimova
Clive Rose/Getty Images

If there is one thing Americans love, it's is a winner that doesn't back down from a rival. Welcome Lilly King, the young lady who won the 100m breaststroke gold after calling out Russian rival Yulia Efimova a day earlier. Efimova, who had previously been busted for doping and was allowed to compete in these Games at the last minute, waved her finger in defiance after winning her semifinal heat. King watched her heat in a staging area and waved her finger back. That set up a must-see final between the two which King won.

 
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Simone Manuel

Simone Manuel
Christophe Simon/Getty Images

Manuel became the first African-American to win swimming gold (heck, any swimming medal) when she won the women's 100m freestyle. Not only did the shocked look on her face when she saw she won endeared her to Americans, but her genuine outpouring of emotion afterwards as she accepted her medal was heartwarming. Manuel broke all kinds of barriers with her performance in Rio and hopefully will inspire girls all over the world.

 
10 of 31

Taking a dive

Taking a dive
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Bahamanian Shaunae Miller dove across the finish line of the women's 400m to rip the gold medal from the clutches of USA's Allyson Felix. It was a shrewd and effective move by Miller and has been much-debated since. Should you be allowed to do that? Is it poor sports etiquette? Is it even faster to slide instead of running through? In any event, Miller's performance will long be remembered for its unusual outcome.

 
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Simone Biles

Simone Biles
Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Biles may not be perfect, but she was darn close in Rio. Biles won gold in the team, all around, vault and floor exercise and won bronze on the balance beam. Her medal haul was impressive, but her personality even more so. Unlike the stoic gymnasts of the past, Biles is a smile factory who genuinely enjoys her teammates and celebrates their accomplishments together ... even bringing up silver medalist teammate Aly Raisman onto the floor to take in the applause after winning all-around gold. Oh and she also got a kiss from Zac Efron, so she has that going for her, too, not to mention the honor of being the first US female gymnast to serve as flag bearer at Rio's closing ceremonies.

 
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Kristin Armstrong, the cyclist, the mom

Kristin Armstrong, the cyclist, the mom
AAron Ontiveroz/Getty Images

American cyclist Kristin Armstrong (not the Kristin Armstrong that's married to Lance) not only had to compete in the individual time trial in the rain but had to do so with a nosebleed. After crossing the finish line and winning the gold, she collapsed off her bike. Her 5-year old son was then lifted over a fence and ran into her arms. Armstrong, 43, has won three Olympic golds in this event.

 
13 of 31

Kerri Walsh Jennings loses

Kerri Walsh Jennings loses
Leon Neal/Getty Images

Sometimes it takes a loss just to see how much you've won. Kerri Walsh-Jennings hadn't lost a match in four Olympics ... until the women's beach volleyball semifinals in Rio. There, she and teammate April Ross lost to the Brazilian duo, Agatha and Barbaa. Walsh-Jennings had been 26-0 heading into their match-up but was knocked out in straight sets. The loss may have been shocking and sad for Americans, but the scene at the beach volleyball venue for that match was still epic. The hometown crowd was rocking and presented truly one of the best scenes in Rio. Walsh-Jennings and Ross would go on to win the bronze.

 
14 of 31

Booing at the Olympics

Booing at the Olympics
Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images

Russia had a tough time at these games due to a doping scandal that depleted their team, which also saw many of their athletes being met with boos. That behavior is a rarity for the Olympics, an event built on sportsmanship and bringing the world together. However, fans didn't like the fact that anyone from the Russian team was allowed to compete after a systematic program of doping was occurring with their athletes. Russians weren't the only ones to face this wrath, though, as others who have been linking to doping (the USA's Justin Gatlin also heard his share). Even American soccer goalie Hope Solo was goaded with chants of "Zika" when she touched the ball due to her vocal reservations about coming to Rio. As the Games went on, the booing got louder and more intense and turned off a lot of people watching the Games on television. One of the most alarming instances was Brazil's relentless booing of French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, reducing him to tears.

 
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Clean sweep

Clean sweep
Franck Fife/Getty Images

Americans Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in the women's 100m hurdles. It was the first American sweep in the event in Olympic history.

 
16 of 31

Hamblin and D'Agostino

Hamblin and D'Agostino
Ian Walton/Getty Images

During a qualifying race for the women's 5,000m, the feet of USA's Abbey D'Agostino and New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin got tangled up and both racers fell to the ground. D'Agostino got up and went over to help Hamblin up, but then realized she was bit more injured than she thought and went back down. Hamblin then helped D'Agostino back up and both continued the race, finishing in back of the pack. In another move that was emblematic of the Olympic spirit, both runners petitioned the results and were allowed to compete in the final. Sadly, D'Agostino tore her ACL and had to pull out.

 
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No handshakes here

No handshakes here
Toshifumi Kitamura/Getty Images

Despite the Olympics reputation as a celebration of sport and the world community, there are times where we are reminded the real world still exists. In the men's 100kg judo competition, Egypt's Islam El Shehaby refused to shake Israel's Or Sasson's hand after Sasson defeated him. Sasson walked over to shake El Shehaby's hand but he kept backing up and refused to extend his own hand. The Egyptian Olympic Committee condemned El Shehaby's lack of sportsmanship and said he will be punished.

 
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The belly flop

The belly flop
Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Boos aside, one Russian athlete who had it really tough was Ilya Zakharov. The previous gold medalist notched a 0.0 on his dive in the 3m springboard final when he essentially belly-flopped into the water.

 
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Rafaela Silva wins Brazil's first gold

Rafaela Silva wins Brazil's first gold
David Ramos/Getty Images

Rafaela Silva, who grew up in a favela just a few miles from from the arena where the women's judo finals were held, won Brazil's first gold in the Rio Games, setting off one of the nicest moments of the Olympics. The hometown crowd went wild as the 24-year old cried and celebrated with the crowd while Brazil's flag was draped around her. This comes four years after she was disqualified for an illegal grab and came home to racial taunts. She would go on to say after winning gold, "Today, I'm not an embarrassment for my family."

 
20 of 31

Robel Habte is no Eric the Eel

Robel Habte is no Eric the Eel
Al Bello/Getty Images

Ethiopia's Robel Habte became a sort of darling during his preliminary race in the men's 100m freestyle. Habte walked to his mark lacking the same insanely fit body that we are accustomed to from our swimmers. No, he looked like the guy that meets you and the guys at the nearby wings joint to watch football and drink beer on Sunday. Habte, son of the president of the Ethiopian swimming federation, finished dead last of the 59 qualifiers and got the nasty internet nickname "Robel the Whale." However, he at least had a much better showing that Equatorial Guinea's Eric "the Eel" Moussambani provided in the 2000 Games.

 
21 of 31

Wayde Van Niekerk's world record

Wayde Van Niekerk's world record
Eric Feferberg/Getty Images

Out of lane eight, South African Wayde van Niekerk won the Olympic gold in the 400m. His coach, 74-year old grandmother Ans Botha, is one of the few female track coaches at that level and was on hand to see his victory. Van Niekerk's mother was a very good track star in the 1980s and 1990s in apartheid-era South Africa, when the nation was banned from many events. The world record he broke was Michael Johnson's, who set it in 1999.

 
22 of 31

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Muhammad became the first Muslim-American woman to win a medal in the Olympics while wearing a hijab. Muhammad won the bronze in the team saber. The Rio Games also saw the Egyptian beach volleyball team in full hijab.

 
23 of 31

Leslie Jones

Leslie Jones
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

Actress Leslie Jones has had quite an interesting summer. With her summer flick Ghostbusters mired in debate and shameful attacks on her via social media quieting her boisterous personality, it was nice to see Jones at the Olympics simply being a fan. After her tweeting about watching the Olympics, NBC hitched their cart to her and made sure she was in Rio getting the VIP treatment. Jones was everywhere from every venue tweeting about everything, cheering on the athletes and being an Olympics superfan.

 
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Not all Olympic athletes are human

Not all Olympic athletes are human
Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Dutch equestrian rider Adelinde Cornelissen pulled out of the individual dressage event when her horse, Parzival, had a fever and some swelling after an apparent insect bite. Cornelissen, who won a silver and bronze medal in London with Parzival, withdrew from the competition after a few movements when she felt her horse wasn't himself. This will most likely be Parzival's final ride in the Olympics (he is 19 years old) but Cornelissen had no hesitation when abruptly quitting for the good of her horse, saying "he didn't deserve this."

 
25 of 31

Pools going green

Pools going green
Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images

There were a lot concerns heading into these Games about the health and well-being of athletes in some less-than-desirable environments. While it remains to be seen if all health risks were avoided, we will always have the image of the diving pool turning green. Eventually the blame was on the chemical treatments but with the backdrop of the health risks and the color green theme at these Rio Olympics, it did cause quite a stir. By the way, those chemical treatments also turned Ryan Lochte's bleached hair green.

 
26 of 31

Japanese junk

Japanese junk
Franck Fife/Getty Images

One of the more social media friendly moments involved Japanese pole vaulter Hiroki Ogita's attempt at the 5.3 meters. As he was coming down, his shin hit the bar but his ... uh ... junk smashed into it and finished knocking it off. Of course, the internet went wild with it, claiming that his manhood got in the way and put him in 21st place.

 
27 of 31

Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton

Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton
Adrian Dennis/Getty Images

What a power couple! Canadian Brianne Theisen-Eaton won the bronze in the women's heptathlon last week. Her husband, American Ashton Eaton, repeated his gold medal performance in the decathlon this week. Eaton becomes just the third decathlete to win two gold medals and joins Americans like Jim Thorpe, Caitlyn Jenner, Bob Mathias, Dan O'Brien, among others to win the Olympic decathlon. Quite impressive, given how grueling the event is just to finish (let alone winning it multiple times).

 
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The proposal

The proposal
David Rogers/Getty Images

Games volunteer Marjorie Enya proposed to partner and Brazilian rugby player Isadora Cerullo after the gold medal rugby sevens match between Australia and New Zealand. Enya walked on the pitch with balloons and a microphone and asked Cerullo to marry her. Cerullo said yes.

 
29 of 31

Paul George meets Samir Ait Said

Paul George meets Samir Ait Said
Scott Halleran/Getty Images

French gymnast Samir Ait Said suffered a gut-wrenching leg injury during the men's vault competition ... and his stretcher was promptly dropped. For Americans it brought back the memories of Kevin Ware during the NCAA Tournament and Paul George during a scrimmage for the 2014 FIBA Championships. George, who won gold with the USA basketball team in Rio, showed his support for Samir Ait Said and plans to meet with him after competition and hopefully become friends. Yet another example of two people on opposite ends of the globe who don't know each other coming together due to sports.

 
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Winning for your country

Winning for your country
Armend Nimani/Getty Images

The United States lead not only the total medal count but was the leader in gold medals as well. Sometimes we forget how the elation of winning a gold medal, or even any medal, can be to some smaller nations. Fiji won their first ever gold by winning the rugby sevens. Monica Puig won Puerto Rico's first ever gold with her singles tennis victory. Hoang Xuan Vinh won Vietnam's first gold in the 10m air rifle. Majlinda Kelmendi won the gold in women's judo for the very young nation of Kosovo. And, of course, Joseph Schooling not only won Singapore's first ever gold medal but did so by beating Michael Phelps.

 
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United States dominance, especially the women

United States dominance, especially the women
Martin Bureau/Getty Images

Maybe if the Russian contingent wasn't depleted, it wouldn't have been so easy. However, the USA dominated these games with over 40 more medals than any other country while winning more gold, silver and bronze medals than any other nation. All that despite some of the rather sure things not getting it done (i.e. the women's soccer team). And American women were front and center. The largest women's contingent in Olympic history, Team USA's women captured the hearts of fans and received the bulk of the television coverage. Think about that. Women like Ledecky, Biles, King, Manuel, Raisman, Hernandez, Armstrong, Muhammad, and the members of the basketball team, swim teams, relay teams, rowing team, water polo team and many other disciplines made our country proud.

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