Best Play: Alex Morgan
There were so many candidates for this one: McKayla Maroney's perfect vault in the team final, Kerri Walsh Jennings's ridiculous bump-kill against China in the semifinals, David Boudia's gold medal-clinching final dive, Russell Westbrook's monster dunk against Argentina. But the honor has to go to Alex Morgan for her game-winning header against Canada in the semifinals. The game was a classic and the goal brought back memories of last year's World Cup. Then, of course, the U.S. got redemption against Japan in the gold medal game two days later.
Best Uniform: Aly Raisman
I spent a lot of pre-Olympic time criticizing the various Team USA uniforms, I figured I'd give a shout out to the best one that I actually saw in London. And it goes to Aly Raisman, who won two gold medals that night as far as I'm concerned--one in the floor exercise, one for the best USA leotard since 1996.
Best Reaction: McKayla Maroney
Is anyone else even close? Maroney's reaction on the medals stand after the vault final was classic. She certainly didn't seem satisfied with silver. And the Photoshopped pictures of her with that look in various different historical settings are phenomenal! It's like playing Where's Waldo.
Biggest Redemption: Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross
They both came to London with glaring holes on their resumes. Neither one had an individual Olympic gold. Richards-Ross took care of that when she ran the perfect race in the final of the 400 meters, then Felix finally got her 200-meter gold three days later.
Most Impressive Performance: Women's 4x100 Meter Medley Relay Team
What happens when you put four gold medalists, three of whom are world record-holders, on the same relay team? Well, we saw what happens. Another world record. For all the record-breaking performances by American athletes in London, the one by Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni and Allison Schmitt was the best.
Biggest Clutch Performance: Manteo Mitchell
Again, plenty of candidates. But Manteo Mitchell's performance stands out above the rest. When he ran the opening leg of the 4x400-meter relay heat, his split of 46 seconds seemed terrible at the time. Then we found out he broke his leg halfway through, yet kept running anyway. He was every bit as responsible for that silver medal as the four athletes that ran the final.
Most Heartbreaking Moment: Morgan Uceny
Jordyn Wieber was the clubhouse leader in this category for a while, but how can you not be devastated by what happened to Morgan Uceny? In a position to medal, she fell on the final lap of the women's 1500-meter final. It was reminiscent of Mary Slaney in 1984. What makes it even more heartbreaking is that the exact same thing happened to Uceny in last year's World Championships.
Best Team: Women's Water Polo
The U.S. won four gold medals in team sports, but three of those teams (men's and women's basketball, women's soccer) always win. The women's water polo team, on the other hand, had medaled in every previous Olympics, but never won gold, going silver-bronze-silver in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. That finally changed in London. I think it's also safe to say that water polo is NBC's new favorite sport, and listening to Doc Emrick doing the games was certainly a treat as well.
Breakout Star: Missy Franklin
Gabby Douglas was tremendous, but I highly doubt we're going to see her in Rio. Missy Franklin, on the other hand, is going to pick up right where Michael Phelps left off. Coming into London, she was supposed to be the next big thing in swimming. And boy did she deliver! Five medals, including four golds, and a world record in the 200 meter backstroke. The most impressive thing is that she won the gold in the 100 backstroke just 15 minutes after her 200 freestyle semi!
Biggest Star You've Never Heard Of: Kim Rhode
Rhode set a world record in the skeet shooting competition, hitting 99 of the 100 targets. It was the fifth straight Olympics in which she won a medal, starting all the way back in Atlanta.
Best Farewell: Michael Phelps
Remember back on Day 1 when Ryan Lochte won the 400 IM, Phelps finished fourth, and we all thought he was "done?" Well, I guess we were wrong, weren't we? Phelps broke the all-time record with his 19th Olympic medal while anchoring the 4x200 freestyle relay team to gold, and that was just the beginning. The final numbers: 22 Olympic medals--18 gold, two silver, two bronze. Fittingly, his final race was a golden conclusion. And as it turns out, with six medals, Phelps was the most decorated Olympian in London. The Greatest Olympic Champion of all-time went out on top. As weird as it will be to not see him in Rio, it's even weirder to think that Michael Phelps is a 27-year-old retiree.
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