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Blood, sweat and tears at Rio 2016

Last updated on - Aug 21, 2016, 16:14 IST

1/10

Annemiek van Vleuten

Ten kilometres (6 miles) from the finish of the women's road race and Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten was in a good place. In the lead, gold within her grasp. (AFP Photo)

2/10

High speed crash

Then in a stomach-churning high speed crash she was hurled over the handlebars on a tricky bend. Instead of climbing the podium she was stretchered to intensive care with heavy concussion and three cracked vertebrae. (AFP Photo)

3/10

Ait Said

Anyone watching qualifying for the men's vault will have winced in horror at the sight of the unfortunate French gymnast Ait Said snapping the lower part of his left leg after a bad landing. (EPA Photo)

4/10

Agonising fall

The 25-year-old fell to the mat in agony clutching the back of his knee and his leg, which was left at an angle that shocked many in the crowd. After surgery he showed remarkable spirit in the face of adversity, declaring that he wanted to try for Tokyo 2020. (AFP Photo)

5/10

Aaron Cook

Rio was a big moment Aaron Cook, a first return to the Olympics since 2008 after being controversially overlooked for selection by Britain at London 2012. His parents mortgaged their home to fund his ultimately failed appeal against the decision. (Reuters Photo)

6/10

Crash out

Cook then switched nationalities and walked out this week behind the Republic of Moldova flag. But all the exertion, cost and personal hardship he's endured flashed before his tear-stained eyes as he was sent packing by a Taiwanese rival in his opening bout in the under-80kg taekwondo competition. (Reuters Photo)

7/10

Neymar

Rio 2016 was awash with tears - at times the Olympics was akin to a crying convention. The Maracana almost floated down to Buenes Aires on the torrent of tears shed by Neymar and the rest of the Brazilian football team after Saturday's penalty shoot out gold medal win against Germany. (AFP Photo)

8/10

Renaud Lavillenie

Over the past two weeks there were tears of joy, of frustration, of agony, and in the case of Renaud Lavillenie, of shock at the ear-splitting boos directed at him as he went head-to-head and lost to local hero Thiago Braz in the pole vault. (AFP Photo)

9/10

Hostile treatment

The Frenchman was stunned and wounded by the reaction, so much so he was moved to comparing himself to Jesse Owens and the hostile treatment meted out to the American athlete at Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics. (AFP Photo)

10/10

Lavillenie in tears

The ill-judged comment stirred up partisan locals even further. He was roundly booed again at the following night's podium ceremony. That reduced Lavillenie to tears, his crumpled face a picture of misery, as smiling Braz saluted the Brazilian national anthem after receiving his gold medal. (AFP Photo)

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