Rio De Janeiro: The 2016 Rio Olympics have come to a close on Sunday, with USA topping the medals charts once again, bagging the same number of gold medals (46) as they won in London four years ago.
However, Rio 2016 turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for Asian giants China, who grabbed 12 gold medals less than what they won in the 2012 Olympics. This relatively poor tally has pushed China down to the third spot on the medals table, as Britain move up the charts with 27 golds.
A mega sporting event like the Olympics was filled with different kinds of emotions, as winners, losers, and those disgraced by virtue of various activities came out with their own takes on different matters.
From Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps’ elation, to Majlinda Kelmendi becoming the first gold winner for Kosovo, the Olympics had it all. So lets take a look at some of the best quotes from the recently concluded Rio Games.
- "There you go. I'm the greatest."
- Usain Bolt on securing his 'triple triple' of 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay golds.
- "This is how I wanted to finish my career. I've lived a dream come true. Being able to cap it off with these Games is just the perfect way to finish."
- Michael Phelps after winning his 23rd gold medal.
- "We have survived a war. There are still kids who don't know if their parents are alive, don't have anything to eat or books to go to school. So the fact of becoming Olympic champion is just huge for all of us."
- Majlinda Kelmendi on winning Kosovo's first Olympic gold medal at its maiden Games.
- "I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors and the hosts of this great event."
- US swimmer Ryan Lochte on his infamous fabricated story of being robbed at gunpoint in Rio.
- "A little tickle with a lob wedge. I thought it could handle that."
- Swedish golfer Henrik Stenson on dealing with a crocodile on the Rio course.
- "In 1936, the crowd was against Jesse Owens. We've not see this since."
- French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie comparing his booing at the hands of Brazilian fans to the notorious treatment of Jesse Owens at Hitler's Berlin Olympics in 1936. He later apologised.
- "For me the gymnastics of the second American (Aly Raisman) is more artistic than the first (Simone Biles). The first, it's acrobatics."
- International gymnastics chief Bruno Grandi not a fan of four-gold medal star Simone Biles.
- "He is just such a.... banana."
- British dressage gold medal winner Charlotte Dujardin on her fiance Dean Golding who wore a shirt bearing the proposal: 'Can we get married now?'
- "The only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics."
- Syria's Yusra Mardini, representing the Games' first ever refugee team, after winning her 100m butterfly heat.
- "It's great for kids who are watching judo now. Seeing someone like me who left the City of God, who started judo at five years of age as a joke."
- Judoka Rafaela Silva, raised in Rio's most notorious favela, after winning Brazil's first gold of the Games.
