After taking a couple of days to digest all of what went down in the track and field stadium in Rio de Janiero, here is a list of the people and storylines that shined brightest at the Olympic Games:

 

1. Usain Bolt. For those of us who grew up watching Carl Lewis, there was a certain perfection about the way he moved and competed that seemed to eclipse all others. Bolt matched Lewis and Paavo Nurmi by winning his ninth gold medal in Rio and the path that he blazed through three Olympic Games is simply mind-boggling. Nine finals, nine gold medals. He is without a doubt the greatest sprinter who ever lived. 

 

2. Matthew Centrowitz. It wasn't fast and Centro certainly was not an underdog, but when you go out and control the Olympic 1,500 meters the way he did, maintain the positions he did, outsprint a crowd full of guys who seemed to be licking their chops, and become the first U.S. runner to win gold since 1908, that's special. In a meet with many high points for the American team, this one topped them all. Addendum to the tattoo should read: "Like Mel Sheppard."

 

3. Sportsmanship (Abbey D'Agostino and Nikki Hamblin). It would be unkind to say that Abbey D'Agostino's whole life led up to a single moment that involved a fall and a really bad injury. But the display of compassion and and humanity expressed by D'Agostino to Hamblin, and then by Hamblin to D'Agostino, was absolutely beautiful and affirmed the best of what the Olympics are supposed to represent. And it comes as no surprise that D'Agostino would be the person that the world would see do the right thing.

 

4. Ashton Eaton. The Bend, Ore. native got more face time than any athlete at the Olympic Games. Of course, it helps to be in 10 events. It helps even more when you are on every third commercial during the NBC and NBCSN telecasts. Corporate America seized upon Eaton as the most bankable face of the Olympics. United Airlines, Visa, Chobani Yogurt. Coke. (Seems like there were others). Eaton took the time to make all of those commercials and hopefully raked in a million bucks for them. Then he went out and tied the Olympic record in the decathlon and reaffirmed his status as a real-life Superman. 

 

5. Great-Grandma Coaches. It happened early in the meet, but when Wayde Van Niekirk  of South Africa smashed the world record in the 400 meters, running a mind-bending time of 43.03, the cameras couldn't take their lenses off Anna Botha, the white-haired coach of the Olympic champion. She coached 50 years to arrive at a moment like this and shattered stereotypes of what a championship pedigree coach is supposed to look like. 

 

6. Nike's Yellow and Pink Shoes. The marketing geniuses over in Beaverton put Hi-Liter pen shoes on all of its athletes -- from specialized field event shoes to racing spikes. The resulting images demonstrated the dominance and reach of Nike in track and field. Those yellow shoes may have looked like Starburst candies but they drowned out every other brand of footwear. 

 

7. Ties That Bind. Emma Coburn and Evan Jager both belong in shampoo commercials. We've known that for years. Now there is a very famous hair tie that rode on top of each of their heads on the way to a pair of historic steeplechase medals -- bronze for Coburn followed by silver for Jager. In sharing that piece of elastic, Jager and Coburn showed that teamwork and camaraderie were more important than the petty rivalries of competing shoe companies.

 

8. Mo Farah. He is no less automatic than Bolt. It's hard to argue that he isn't the greatest distance racer in history. He is a phenomenon. The S.S. Farah is unsinkable.

 

9. The national anthem and Sam Kendricks. If you haven't seen the video of U.S. pole vaulter Sam Kendricks sprinting down the runway to make an attempt during the qualifying round and then coming to a screeching halt and dropping his pole when his ears heard the Star Spangled Banner, go find it. It's priceless, sincere, patriotic, and shows the depth of feeling this guy has for his country. Sure, it helps that he's a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. His startled reaction to Michelle Carter's medal ceremony will likely go down as even more memorable than his own bronze medal.

 

10. U.S. women's hurdlers. Totally dominant. The U.S. left home world record holder Keni Harrison and still swept the medals in the 100-meter hurdles. Dalilah Muhammad and Ashley Spencer went gold-bronze in the 400 hurdles. Five out of the six medals in those two events went to the U.S. and that type of showing is going to keep happening. The girls coming up in the pipeline of both events are amazing.

 

11. Galen Rupp. It was an historic showing for the U.S. (and coach Alberto Salazar's Oregon Project, for that matter), but Rupp's marathon bronze on top of his 2012 silver in the 10K are performances that bulldozed the myth of East African "superiority." Yes, Rupp only got fifth in the 10,000 this time, but he was there on the last lap. We've gotten accustomed to that. Yes, Eliud Kipchoge was a marvel on the way to gold. But Rupp, who has yet to have a payday for the marathon, was nearly as amazing. And one more thing ... can you believe that Rupp, Eaton and Centrowitz were all on the same college track team at Oregon and somehow didn't win NCAAs (outdoors)?

 

12. Karma. Taking a shot here. Tyson Gay should have never been selected to compete for the U.S. in the 4x100 relay. Not after he cost three teammates their silver medals in London because of his doping violation, which came to light in 2013. If the U.S. was obligated to take him for finishing fifth in the 100 meters and U.S. Trials, fine. But he should have never been asked to participate. Apologies to the other guys on the team, but the U.S. got what it deserved out of that event. 

 

13. Shaunae Miller. Her desperate dive for gold at the finish line upset a lot of people who were pulling for Allyson Felix in the women's 400 final. It was great theater and perfectly legal. But don't try it at home because it usually doesn't work.

 

14. Feyisa Lilesa. The silver medalist in the men's marathon might be one of the bravest athletes in the world. His protest gesture on the final straightaway of the race brought attention to atrocities at home in Ethiopia and possibly put his own life in jeopardy. He had 26 miles to consider whether to do that, which is motivation enough to be in the top three for maximum TV exposure.

 

15. Throws. Michelle Carter and Ryan Crouser come from the royal families of U.S. throwing and both of them won gold medals with thrilling massive marks in the shot put ring. That was the good news. The U.S. wasn't very good in the javelin, discus or hammer. Major props to Anita Wlodarczyk for breaking the world record in the hammer.

 

16. Thiago. To cap a breath-taking Day 4 evening session, the Brazilian pole vaulter Thiago Braz Da Silva ripped gold away from defending champion Renaud Lavillenie with a stupendous decision to move the bar up to 6.03m (19-9.25) -- 11 centimeters above his personal best. The gambit paid off when he made it on his second try and wrested control away from the Frenchman.

 

17. Elaine Thompson. She was completely overshadowed by Jamaican teammate Usain Bolt, but she became the first woman to sweep the 100 and 200 since FloJo back in 1988. 

 

18. Allyson Felix. It was an unfortunate outcome in the 400 meters. And the 4x100 relay was hairy, but it worked out. She came away with two relay golds and a silver, which is more than can be said for Germany (2 golds, 1 bronze).

 

19. Christian Taylor. The guy won back to back Olympic gold medals in the triple jump -- one in which jumped off his left leg (2012) and one which he jumped off his right (2016). Best switch hitter since Mickey Mantle.

 

20. Jenny Simpson. She made history with her bronze medal in the women's 1,500 meters, becoming the first U.S. athlete to medal in the event. Was it a surprise? No. Simpson has been at or near the top of this event for years and won the 2011 world title. But the Olympics medal affirms her status as America's best ever middle distance female, probably bumping her ahead of the star-crossed Mary Slaney.