Some of us here at Check Down have been sitting on the results of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro for a few weeks and have arrived at a peculiar question: If we had to give medals to the top three Olympic athletes at Rio, who would we give them to? Myself and Meade have come up with winners of the overall gold, silver, and bronze medal winners at Rio 2016.
Hempdad’s Gold Pick: Simone Biles (USA, Gymnastics)
Out of all the accomplishments at Rio, the one that stood out to me the most was the almost sweeping performance put on by Simone Biles. Golds in all but one event that she competed in? To be honest, I really did not follow Olympic Gymnastics at all up until looking back at the list of standout accomplishments achieved by the American side. I found Bile’s achievements most impressive because they stood with me the longest after looking back at Rio. My overall gold medal goes to Simone Biles.
Meade’s Gold Pick: Ashton Eaton (USA, Decathalon)
Not going to lie to you guys, I didn’t even know the Decathlon was in the Olympics until about two weeks ago. When I saw Eaton competing, I was impressed. When I found out this was his chance to defend his title, I was shocked. In an event that has such a broad scope of training, winning this takes an unreal amount of versatility, which Eaton clearly has. Winning the decathlon comes with the title “Worlds Greatest Athlete” which Eaton deserves after conquering this combination of throwing, running, and jumping for the second straight Olympics. The 28 year old has ruled out competing in the 2020 summer Olympics, but his legacy as one of the best decathlon competitors will continue on.
Hempdad’s Silver Pick: Katie Ledecky (USA, Swimming)
What sold it for me was the fact that two world records were set by this nineteen year old. Watching her dominate the 800 meter freestyle and breaking her own record, that was set by her twelve times previous or something of that nature, was a unique experience. In my memory, with pressure on a number one seeded type athlete or team, winning is definitely a challenge. Katie Ledecky made it look supremely easy. Her accomplishments in swimming sold it for me, even over the medal count of Michael Phelps.
Meade’s Silver Pick: Simone Biles (USA Gymnastics)
Simone Biles, who never competed in an Olympics before Rio, certainly lived up to the hype on the world’s biggest stage. Medaling in all of the exercises she competed in, it was clear from the start that she was a step ahead of the field. The world really was turned onto the greatness that she has during the Women’s floor exercise where she completely dominated scoring nearly perfect. Simone was arguably the most dominant athlete during the whole Olympics.
Hempdad’s Bronze Pick: Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina, Tennis)
Here’s a guy who was unseeded going into the Olympics, and seeded rather low for his skill level going to the London Olympics in 2012. He won a U.S. Open in 2009 after defeating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and has since dropped off the face of the planet due to injury, making recurrences in 2012 and 2013. My basis for level of impressiveness is this: How many Medals does Roger have? 1. How many does Nadal have? 2. How many does Djokovic have? 0. Andy Murray? 2. Del Potro’s second Olympic medal, even thought it is just silver, show’s he is among the world’s best in tennis.
Meade’s Bronze Pick: Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Track)
Just wow, easily the best sprinter of all time, dominates again. Bolt wins these sprints consistently, even when it looks like he’s not even breaking a sweat. Clearly soaking up the atmosphere of these events, Bolt looked to be the most popular athlete there again. Citing that winning the 100m, 200m, and 100m X 4 for the third straight Olympics was his goal, he achieved this with ease to become one of the most decorated athletes of all time. And of course, what are the summer Olympics without that famous two-finger point from one of my all time favorites.
Images from NY News Daily, EuroSport, Olympic News, CDN News.
