The Olympics never seem to disappoint, and the latest edition in Rio de Janeiro was no exception as the world's best athletes once again wowed audiences across the globe with superhuman feats and stunning performances.
Amid a backdrop of political and economical turmoil in Brazil, not to mention one of the biggest scandals to rock the Olympiad with allegations of Russia's state-sponsored doping, there were concerns that the Rio Games would fail to live up to expectations, but for two weeks it was once again sport that came to the fore, and here we have rounded up the best performances from another memorable edition of 'The Greatest Show on Earth'.
Best Performances on Land
There have been no shortage of Olympic heroes on the track down the years, from Jesse Owens to Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson, but few can hold a candle to Jamaica's incomparable Usain Bolt. Held up as a beacon of hope to a sport ravaged by scandal, Bolt went into his third Olympic Games looking to create history by completing the 'triple triple' - winning gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Was there ever any doubt he would achieve it? The man for the big occasion took his tally of golds to nine with another series of dominant displays to firmly cement his legacy as one of the greatest Olympians of all time. The likes of Mo Farah and Wayde van Niekerk provided admirable support acts for the 'Lightning Bolt', but there was only ever going to be one star of the greatest show, and Bolt bowed out from his final Olympics in fitting style.
© BBC
From a superstar gracing the Games for the final time to one making her Olympic debut, United States gymnast Simone Biles arrived in Rio as a legend of the sport already. Unable to compete in London due to being three months underage, Biles had dominated in the intervening years and went into the Games looking to become the first gymnast to win five golds at a single Olympics.
Ultimately, a bronze on the balance beam saw her fall just short of that goal, but golds in the vault, floor, individual all-around and team all-around still saw her match the best-ever showing from a gymnast. At just 19 years of age, time is on her side to continue her progress and increase her medal tally further still in Tokyo.
Best Performances in Water
When it comes to selecting the greatest Olympian of all time, a number of boxes must be ticked. Longevity, consistency and - of course - medal count are chief among the qualifiers, and Michael Phelps is without a doubt one of the front-runners. The 31-year-old, who had initially retired after London 2012, returned for his fifth Games and increased his record-breaking medal tally to an unfathomable 28, including an eye-watering 23 golds (14 more than the next most-decorated Olympian).
His unique swimming skills (and traditional healing method?) contributed to making him the most successful athlete of the Rio Olympics yet again, winning five more golds and a silver. He has since vowed not to return again for Tokyo, so it looks like being the last we will see of arguably the greatest Olympian ever.
© Getty Images
Best Performances in Midair
One of the most bittersweet moments of the Games came in the men's pole vault as the Brazilian fans got behind an unexpected champion at the expense of the Olympic spirit. Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie went into the event as the defending Olympic champion having won gold in London four years ago, but he soon found himself as the subject of boos and jeers by the crowd.
The reason for that was because he was up against home favourite Thiago Braz da Silva, and it is the reaction of the fans that will be remembered most despite a fascinating duel between the two athletes. Lavillenie quite literally set the bar high by breaking his own Olympic record in the final with a 5.98m vault, only for Da Silva to respond with a 6.03m effort that handed him Brazil's only track and field gold of the Games. The boos towards the Frenchman continued on the podium, though, and images of his disappointment at such treatment were one of the sadder memories of Rio 2016.
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