Simone’s show

There’s no questioning Simone Biles’ star power. Aside from toting the United States flag like a four-time gold medalist, Biles momentarily held up the parade of athletes as lines formed to snap a picture with the beaming gymnast. Comfortable in the spotlight, she smiled graciously even as the rain poured down through Maracana Stadium.

Bookended by Michael Phelps’ entrance on August 5th and Biles’ exit on Sunday, the Americans hauled in an Olympic-best 121 medals. From the U.S. gymnasts to Katie Ledecky to the Americans’ dominance on the basketball court, here are the 16 most memorable moments from the Olympics.

Olympic handoff

In a well-choreographed symbolic handoff, Rio mayor Eduardo Paes handed the Olympic flag to IOC President Thomas Bach who then handed it off to the the governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike. The ceremony also featured a cameo from Super Mario Bros. — which could feature prominently at the 2020 Games.

In his closing remarks, Bach spoke of the sportsmanship and competitiveness displayed by the athletes over the last two weeks. It was a shared sentiment as Rio will undoubtedly be remembered for the athletes’ performances, not the societal problems plaguing Brazil.

And aside from the Ryan Lochte incident, it was a near-perfect Olympics for the Americans.

That Lochte incident 

Lochte and the three U.S. swimmers involved in last weekend’s embarrassing gas-station encounter were all understandably absent from Sunday’s closing ceremony. But as bad as Lochte looked in the wake of his “overexaggerating,” an investigation by USA TODAY raised questions about whether the Rio authorities embellished any of the details on their own.

Meanwhile, a wall at Rio’s airport has turned into something of an odd apology for Ryan Lochte.

A celebration of the winners 

Sunday night closed the 17-day spectacle amid colors, dancing and endless music. It also was meant to celebrate the medal winners one last time. After winning for their country, we broke down which colleges had the most successful Olympics (hint: The Pac-12 is a swimming powerhouse).

While an Olympic medal is undoubtedly something to cherish, it also can yield some serious cash. For example, gold medals in the U.S. net athletes $25,000 apiece from the USOC.

The harsh reality is about to hit for many Olympians who can’t support themselves or their families on sports alone. It’s back to school, or back to their day jobs for the majority of Olympic athletes.

Shirtless Tonga dude is back

The Olympics don’t end until Pita Nikolas Taufatofua says they do. He, again, didn’t wear much, but appeared to have slightly less oil on him this time around (the rain might have been to blame).

Rio Olympics: Best images from the closing ceremony