Written by Giavanna Foster
The 2016 Summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro. This year’s Games were filled with a display of hard work, friendships amongst competitors, and outstanding commitments to athleticism. All of the athletes are winners because they received well-deserved recognition for their commitment to athletic excellence. America, Great Britain, and China received the most medals. Each country earned over 65 honorary medals, which is an impressive nationwide total. If you were to add up the medals won from all three countries, it would equal 258 medals. Here’s the medal count chart for America, China, and Great Britain:
Great Britain placed in the top 3 with 67 medals. Andy Murray is a tennis standout because he earned his second consecutive singles gold medal after defeating Juan Martin del Potro. With his two-peat, Murray achieved an unprecedented Olympics record. Murray emerged from this year’s Games as a tennis legend in the making. A very humbled Murray felt emotionally overwhelmed and ecstatic after his victory. Click here to read more information about his impressive achievement.
From Great Britain, Lynsey Sharp is a track-and-field standout. As a sophomore athlete, Sharp is a good sport and she exemplifies the meaning of hard work and persistence. Sharp is Europe’s 2012 champion as well as a 2012 London Olympics participant. Also, Sharp earned a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. This year, Sharp placed in the top 6 for the track and field category. The top 3 winners of the 800 meter run were South Africa’s Caster Semenya, Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba, and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui. To look at the complete score list, click here.
China placed in the top 3 with 70 medals. Weightlifter Deng Wei and diver He Zi achieved impressive feats. Deng Wei shined brightly in the weightlifting category. Deng Wei set two world records in 63 kg finals for clean and jerk (147 kg) as well as the total earned medals (262 kg). Wei has gained international fame as a Chinese weightlifter. She has also earned gold medals in Turkey, the United States, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. Wei’s record is impressive and it proves that hard work and faith will catapult you to unlimited success.
He Zi emerged as a true champion and bride-to-be at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Zi earned a silver medal in the women’s 3-meter springboard diving competition. After the medal ceremony, Chinese diver Qin Kai surprised her with a golden wedding proposal. For Zi, this year’s ceremony is unforgettable because it celebrates her commitments to hard work and pure love. For more information, please click here.
America placed in the top 3 with 121 medals. Five exceptional girls stood out in the gymnastics category and they are well-known as the final five: Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. Raisman and Douglas are sophomore athletes, as they previously competed in the 2012 Olympics. Also, Kocian won the 2015 uneven bars world championship. The Final Five are outstanding and they were featured on television after their golden win at the Olympics.
The Final Five will be featured on the 2016 National Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions. The tour begins September 15 and ends November 13. This year’s Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions is produced by USA Gymnastics in partnership with AEG Facilities. The Kellogg Company is primarily sponsoring it. GK Elite, Hershey’s, Hilton, International Gymnastics Camp and Procter and Gamble have also partnered as sponsors for this year’s Tour. To read more about the tour, please click here.
The Final Five have appeared on television since their big win. They presented the best female video award to Beyoncé at this year’s VMAs. The Final Five are featured on ABC, Access Hollywood and Jimmy Fallon. Also, Laurie Hernandez is competing in season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. Amber Rose and Jake T. Austin are also dancing for the Mirror Ball. Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays on ABC at 8|7 c. Read more about this season’s cast here.
In addition, Simone Biles appeared on the Ellen show twice. On Biles’ second television appearance, Biles sat down with Ellen to discuss her big win. If you missed it, then click here to watch the YouTube clip. Biles announced on the Ellen show that she will be releasing Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance. This autobiographical novel is inspired by her life story and victories, including 14 gold medals. Courage to Soar will be released worldwide on November 15. If you would like to pre-order Biles’ novel on Amazon, please click here.
This year’s Games celebrated the rewards of exceptional athletic commitment. Every athlete’s life story is inspirational because it proves that honorary recognition can be earned for doing what you love with tenacious hard work and faith. The next Summer Olympics will take place in 2020.
The 2020 Games will launch in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9. It will feature thirty-three sports: baseball, softball, skateboarding, karate, judo, and more. See the official YouTube video announcement posted by NBC Sports here.
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