Everyone has his or her own views of the Olympic games. There are people who can’t stand watching them because it all just professional athletes. On the other hand, some people love to watch and can’t get enough. They sit there and switch from one channel’s coverage to the next.

For me, I love the Olympics and I can’t get enough of them. The excitement that surrounds them and the thrill of watching history be made draws me in. This year was just the same. I turned it on every chance I got. I watched it on my lunch break, after work, and at night before bed.

While the USA dominated many sports and cleaned up with a total of 100+ medals, there was still plenty of excitement to watch. But there was just something about this Olympics that I don’t ever remember.

For the best athletes in the world there were some big mess-ups. Look back at the divers who flopped into the water, instead of graceful entrances. The gymnast who couldn’t stick their landings and the one who snapped his leg cannot be forgotten. Even the men’s 4 by 100M relay team in track was disqualified.

Then came the huge upsets. The USA women’s beach volleyball Walsh Jennings and Ross duo not only lost multiple sets, but also lost a match and ended with a bronze medal. The Williams’ sisters couldn’t find their groove in tennis. USA fencing had huge upsets as the number one ranked competitors were knocked out of competition. Bikers crashed, runners tripped, and events were cancelled. And many other top ranked athletes fell off the podium throughout the games.

The most exciting part of the Olympics was the history that was made. We watched as Usain Bolt not only ran is final Olympic races, but also dominated in his events. Phelps broke records by earning 5 gold medals, raising his total to 23. We also watched as he swam his final races. We watched as Katie Ledecky crushed the competitors in her races. We also watched in amazement as she raced against the clock of her own world record to set another one and win the race by a landslide.

Then there was the final five. They blew the competition away at the team finals and made history with back-to-back gold medals. They continued to show their strength throughout the all around finals as well as the individual finals.

Besides a few, many of these athlete’s competitions are not broadcasted throughout the year. For many this is their chance to shine. For some it is their last chance to show the world they are the greatest of all time. It is the chance for them to defend their titles or sadly pass it on to the next great athlete.

We saw it all in Rio from the greatest athletes to the greatest fails. We saw the last from some of the best. But most excitingly we watched the USA athletes make us proud with their countless medals.

Go team USA!