At this time I believe it's safe to say that aside from some minor hiccups, the 2016 Olympics went down without any real serious issues after all the problems there were leading up to them. We have watched the world's best athletes continue to dazzle us and shatter one world record after another in each event, but it's specifically been the greatness of black women in these Olympics that's stood out the most. I believe the success of black women in this year's Olympics is just what we needed after what's been a tumultuous summer for Black Americans in 2016.

We all probably remember where we were when we watched the horrific video of police in Baton Rouge brutally killing 37-year-old Alton Sterling in an execution-like fashion. As if that wasn't enough, less than 24 hours later we got a firsthand account of the police-involved killing of Minnesota native Philando Castille, as his girlfriend recorded the incident and posted it to Facebook for the world to see. These killings really took a toll emotionally (for me, it's the first time writing about these events since they happened). Black people everywhere seemed to be weighed down by the events that took place; it was a collective gray cloud that hovered over Black America, and the ensuing protests and violence that transpired did not really do much to help the situation.

Black America has been desperately searching for something to be proud of, something to be able to celebrate. It's an understatement to say that black women of these Olympics have done. We saw it in the music world with performances by Kendrick. We've watched Simone Biles and the legendary Gabby Douglas simply dominate the field in women's gymnastics. We witnessed Olympic history when track & field thrower Michelle Carter became the first American woman ever (EVER!) to win gold in the Olympic shot put. Even in swimming, a sport black Americans haven't been as dominant in recent years, African-American woman Simone Manuel's "Black Girl Magic" was on display when she became the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in swimming.

Even non-American black women have given us something to cheer for, like Shanae Miller of the Bahamas, who really gave her all to win a gold medal in the women's 400m when she dove at the finish line and managed to edge out Allyson Felix of the U.S for the gold.

What a turnaround these beautiful black women have given us. They have given black Americans a reason to be joyful, and regardless of the nonsense that politics have created, we have something to take our minds off of it. We've traded in the endless coverage of large-scale protests and uprisings in cities like Baton Rouge and Minnesota for watching black women put on for their cities, states and countries and beautifully represent us.

It's too bad that the Olympics only come every four years.