All good things have to end, they say. So we are now at the end of a spectacular two weeks of sporting achievements. The Americans topped the table with 121 medals (46 gold medals among them) followed by Great Britain (67 medals, 27 gold) and China (70 medals, 26 of them being gold). While hosts Brazil celebrated their football gold we Indians drew cheer from the silver medal and the bronze medal and the other heartening performances of the games. Early this morning (IST) the Closing Ceremony.
At first it seemed that the rain would keep away spectators but the stands started to fill up somewhat and many athletes were seen with umbrellas, many also sporting ponchos.
27 little children sang the national anthem of hosts Brazil. They represented the country's 26 states and one federal district.
It was now the turn of the athletes nominated to be flag bearers for their respective countries to make an appearance. It was bronze medal winner Sakshi Malik who was flag bearer for India.
American gymnast Simone Biles was the flag bearer for her country (she won four gold medals and a bronze). She was the one everyone wanted to click a selfie with.
The triplet sisters from Estonia also created quite a buzz. They had represented their country at the marathon event.
The athletes from Great Britain literally lit things up with their quirky lighted footwear and were clearly having a great time. After all they had much to celebrate!
It was a colourful and entertaining closing ceremony. This is a human representation of the five symbolic rings of the Olympics.
The famous Brazilian singer took centre stage at the closing ceremony along with his daughters and granddaughter.
Kygo and Julia Michaels presented the song Carry Me during the Closing Ceremony.
The closing ceremony had various performances that showcased the host nation's rich and varied cultural heritage.
The next Olympics will be held in Tokyo in 2020. The Japanese flag took centre stage at the closing ceremony.
The end of the Olympics was officially marked when the flame of the Olympic Cauldron was doused. Brazilian singer Mariene de Castro performed as a shower of water extinguished the flame that had burnt for two weeks.
Rio is known as the party capital of the world and it was a carnival time at the Closing Ceremony as well.
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