Team USA has taken home the most gold medals at the final tally shown during the 2016 Rio Olympics closing ceremony. The grand sports event ended with an official handover to Tokyo for 2020.
BBC reported that the 2016 Rio Olympics closing ceremony was a colorful and carnival-inspired. It lasted for almost three hours, celebrating Brazil's arts, and was held in a wet Maracana. One of the highlights was Tokyo's impressive teaser for the next event.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe also joined the festivities by turning into video game character Super Mario. He then popped out of a green pipe in the 2016 Rio Olympics closing ceremony stadium.
"These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city," International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said. "Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for all of us, with its irresistible joy for life."
The 2016 Rio Olympics closing ceremony garnered billions of viewers from around the world. It featured the parade of athletes as well as the dramatic extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
The Olympic flame was dowsed by a rain shower. Afterward, it gave life to a large tree sculpture that reportedly is a symbol for rebirth.
According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. athletes such as Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and the controversial Ryan Lochte have already left Rio de Janeiro. Simone Biles carried the country's flag for the 2016 Rio Olympics closing ceremony.
Team USA got the most gold medals, with 46. The American athletes also got 37 silver medals and 38 bronze medals. All in all, the team took home 121 medals for the nation.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland came in second place with 27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze medals. China came in third with 26 gold medals,18 silver and 26 bronze. Russia and Germany closed the top five on fourth and fifth place, with 56 and 42 medals in total, respectively.
