The Olympic Games are over. Now what do we watch on television?
Prior to the games, we were worried about whether the venues would be ready or whether zika virus would be a problem or whether athletes would compete on a fair and even playing field where doping was not part of the games.
Some argued the Olympic movement was no longer relevant. Security concerns made it questionable whether such events should happen at all. After all, larger crowds are the perfect site for terrorist attacks. And the money being spent on the Olympics could be better served going to the needed infrastructure projects of Brazil. There were a lot of reasons to think the games would not be a success.
Then a 16-year-old girl helped the 4x100 freestyle relay team to a bronze medal on the very first day of competition. She went on to win another bronze, a silver and a gold medal. The latter was in one of the premier events of the game - the women's 100m freestyle - and she set an Olympic record at the same time.
Who can forget those moments as she sat in the pool, after the swim, refusing to look at the scoreboard right away, then she turned around, saw her score and the look of sheer joy on her face?
For me, that was the highlight of the Olympics. Not the winning of a gold medal but the look on a young women's face as she realized she had done something no one had done before.
For Canada, the games just kept getting better. A bronze medal by the gutsy women in rugby. Medals in other swimming events. Medals in diving. Medals in rowing. For nine days in a row, there was a Canadian on the podium. For nine days in a row, it was female Canadian athletes.
I am not sure what that says about Canadian male athletes but perhaps it doesn't matter that some of our best male competitors fell short. After all, Derek Drouin sailed over the bar to gold with a leap of 2.38 m. That is about as high as I can reach.
And when Andre De Grasse took to the track, the nation held its breath. First it was in the 100m where Usain Bolt showed us why he is still a force to be reckoned with. Bolt ran with such joy and freedom. But he also had kind words and a helping hand for his rival. A bromance broke out on the track. It didn't matter that De Grasse came in third. The race was historic.
But perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the games was the heats for the 200m where De Grasse pushed Bolt just a bit. The smiles and laughter - the finger wag and the easy effort - watching these two men cross the finish line enjoying their sport and their athletic prowess in a way that few can was a moment of pure magic. It was athletics at its absolute best.
The Olympic Games gave us other moments. For example, the trampoline gold medal for Rosie MacLennan, a repeat of the gold she won in London, or the triumph of the women's soccer team winning their second straight bronze medal while defeating the host nation, Brazil.These are the moments we will remember. Our Canadian athletes laid it all on the line and did their best on an international stage. As a country, we won 22 medals and a top 10 finish in total medal count. Sure, 15 medals were bronze but 43 Canadian athletes placed in the top five in their events. We had so many close fourth place finishes. We were competitive.
We can justifiably be proud of our Olympic athletes. Every single one is a role model and a champion in their own right.
In the end, despite so many concerns prior to the games and so much happening during, the Olympics are worthwhile. They bring the world together. They bring our country together. And for a brief time, we see the human spirit soar. All in the sheer joy of a sixteen year old swimmer who conquered the planet.
--Todd Whitcombe
