The competitions. The patriotism. The passion. The flame. The Olympics are a timeless tradition that has given us so many incredible moments. Jesse Owens in the 1936 games, winning four gold medals despite the games being held in Berlin in Nazi Germany just a couple years before World War II. He wasn’t supposed to win, but he did. Then there is the 1992 “Dream Team,” with NBA stars like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. They cruised to a gold medal for U.S.A. Just two games ago, swimmer Michael Phelps took home the most gold medals (eight) ever at a single Olympics. As the 2016 Olympics roll around in August and the torch is lit August 5th, more memories will be made and more records will be broken.
The drama surrounding these games has been even more prevalent than usual, however, because of the Zika virus outbreak, Brazil’s government, and bacteria-filled water have people doubting if Rio is ready to have the entire world watching it. When the games begin though, it will all be about the athletes, wearing their colors and winning medals for the country.
Jamaican runner Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, will be running his final Olympics come August. Bolt has had many moments in his decorated Olympic career, but he is probably most well known for winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprint events in back to back years. As the most famous Jamaican Olympian in history, Bolt will have full support in his last games. The only athlete who will have more? American swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history, with 18 gold medals and 22 total medals over the last three Olympics. Before the London games, Phelps announced that he would retire after the 2012 games, but he recently said that he would be giving it another run in Rio. He will compete in multiple events, including the 4X100 freestyle relay, the 100 and the 200 butterfly.
With the countdown to Rio coming to a close, the pressure is building, the workouts intensify and the athletes prepare their minds for the greatest sports experience of our time.
