What we’ll remember from the Rio Olympics — and what we should remember
With the Rio Olympics now over, here’s a quick question: What was the biggest story? If you said the Ryan Lochte Saga, you’re likely — and sadly — correct, at least in terms of recent media saturation. But let’s face it, at the end of the day, the twists and turns of the swimmer’s story overshadowed tremendous performances by his U.S. Olympic teammates, especially the American women as a group. As time marches on, there’s a good chance that the tabloid-esque features of L’Affaire Lochte will cause it to diminish in our collective consciousness, while our continued admiration for other feats burnishes their legend. With that in mind, here’s a look back at the Rio Olympics, divided into the bad stories that got people talking but are probably best left to recede in importance, and the good stories that will be remembered for all the right reasons and that are worth savoring. At least Lochte’s fabrications about being robbed at gunpoint and subsequent, mealy-mouthed apology gave Post columnist Sally Jenkins several chances to describe him in ways such as “the dumbest bell that ever rang”. If any U.S. athlete actually benefited from Lochte’s fish tale, it was Hope Solo. After making herself a target for boos from Brazilian fans with pre-Games comments and social media posts about the Zika virus, the goalkeeper played inconsistently, if not poorly. In terms of doping notoriety, though, no one could match the Russians, many of whom were barred from Rio altogether. Those who competed did so under a cloud of mistrust, including swimmer Yulia Efimova, who was painted as a villain, fairly or not, by American rival Lilly King and many others. Another kind of corruption was implied, at the very least, when several boxing judges, some of whom helped Russians gain controversial victories, were sent home. We’ve gone over some of the problems Brazil had while staging the Games, most of which are very far from over now that the show has left town. At least the country can look back with immense pride at the performance of its Neymar-led men’s soccer team, which won gold in a particularly cathartic way by topping Germany. In addition, the volleyball-mad country could celebrate men’s triumphs in both the indoor and beach versions, and it got another huge lift from pole vaulter Thiago Braz da Silva, who set new Olympic, South American and personal records en route to a gold medal. A nation made up of people who didn’t ask for all the bad publicity that came their way, and who mostly lived up to their reputation as a joyous, party-loving group, deserved its series of triumphs in the Games.
(By Des Bieler August 22-2016 The Washington Post 2016. Adapted.)
It is true, according to the text that:
