The Rio Olympics came off mostly in style. The American delegation dominated the medal count, and American women made more than their fair share of history. The opening ceremony was a fantastic appreciation of Brazilian culture highlighted by Gisele's record-breaking walk. Concerns about Brazil's preparedness to host the games fell by the wayside as things mostly went off without a hitch.
The closing ceremony featured a few memorable moments of its own, the first of which was a rainstorm that forced athletes to adopt a different look than intended.
Very wet selfie at the closing ceremony #Olympics pic.twitter.com/nTaJShbl9M
— Jack Laugher (@JackLaugher) August 22, 2016
Simone Biles served as US flag bearer for the ceremony, but got wet just like everyone else. Here she is in a poncho with three of her gymnastics teammates.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
4/5 of the team. #finalfive #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/XKNgz4YCY1
— Dvora Meyers (@DvoraMeyers) August 22, 2016
And another picture of her holding a nine-foot flagpole.
Simone Biles: 4 feet 8 inches tall
— Uncle Bill (@UBtalkin) August 22, 2016
The flag staff she has to hold: 9 feet tall#USA #ClosingCeremony #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/8aW0LuZjPK
One person that didn't mind the rain was Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan flag-bearer that captured our imagination in the opening ceremony. This time, he wore even more baby oil.
Now it's a party...#TGA #Rio2016 #ClosingCeremony
— Getty Images Sport (@GettySport) August 22, 2016
?: @ezra_shaw pic.twitter.com/y0vZMpGXTX
And then, uh, Mario came out. Or, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe hopped out of a warp pipe dressed as Mario. Really.
Mario stars in Olympics closing ceremony. https://t.co/TpWQSHnqke pic.twitter.com/V95qKfF11H
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) August 22, 2016
After a superb Mario Kart inspired @Tokyo2020 segment, the #OlympicGames are nearly ready for #JPN! #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/rLQb0cW5Rh
— Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) August 22, 2016
OH MY GOODNESS.
— Jeff D Lowe (@JeffDLowe) August 22, 2016
The PM of Japan entered #ClosingCeremony for #RiotoTokyo dressed as Mario on top of a warp pipe. pic.twitter.com/VeDeFX1WQo
That's gotta be a first.