Sports

Bests & Worsts

BEST AMERICAN MOMENT

There were plenty of Olympians who gave the U.S. a reason to be proud. Manteo Mitchell ran the first leg of the 4×400-meter relay in qualifying despite breaking his fibula during his lap and still managed to fight through the pain to hand off the baton. Kayla Harrison won America’s first gold medal in judo after enduring years of sexual abuse by a former coach. Kristin Armstrong, a 38-year-old mother, came out of retirement to win the cycling road race.

POST’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE

But the moment that resonated the most was Alex Morgan’s header in extra time of the U.S. women’s soccer team’s dramatic 4-3 win over Canada in the semifinals en route to winning the gold. Despite trailing three separate times in the match, the U.S. rallied each time to tie. It was the fourth gold medal in five Olympics since women’s soccer was introduced in 1996, and there’s nothing America loves more than winners.

WORST AMERICAN MOMENT

Lolo Jones’ disappointing fourth-place finish in the women’s 100-meter hurdles was overcome by teammates Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells finishing second and third, respectively. But Harper and Wells lashed out at Jones the morning after, apparently bitter at the attention and endorsements Jones has received.

“I think that, on the podium tonight, the three girls that earned their spot and they got their medals and they worked and did what they needed to do, prevailed,” Wells said.

Harper and Wells may have their medals, but don’t expect sponsors to line up for a pair of athletes so jealous of a teammate they would tear her down after a disappointing finish.

BEST EXITS

A pair of U.S. Olympic stars entered retirement on a high note. Michael Phelps left London with a total of 22 medals in his career, an Olympic best. He added six more this Olympiad (four golds, two silvers), including a gold medal in his last race — the 4x100m medley relay final. Misty May-Treanor, who plans to retire, and her partner, Kerri Walsh Jennings, won their third straight gold in beach volleyball in their last Olympics as a team.

WORST EXITS

St. Kitts and Nevis sprinter Kim Collins spent the night with his wife in a hotel outside the Olympic Village, prompting his team to ban him from running in the 100-meter dash and expelling him from the Games. Collins, who carried his country’s flag in the opening ceremonies, told BBC’s Radio 5: “I would have had better luck if I’d gone off with some chick and came back in time.”

Meanwhile, American judo fighter Nick Delpopolo tested positive for marijuana following his competition on July 30 and was also expelled. He said he ate the pot accidentally before the Olympics began.

BEST FACIAL EXPRESSION

McKayla Maroney, a member of the United States’ gold medal-winning women’s gymnastics squad, gestured on the medal stand after placing second in the vault. Her disapproving expression spawned the “McKayla Maroney is not impressed” Internet meme, with amateur Photoshop users placing her in the foreground of famous photos.

WORST CHEAP SHOT

During a 72-hour stretch, the men’s basketball tournament became an advertisement for wearing cups on the court. The U.S. vs. Argentina group-play game saw Carmelo Anthony hit the deck after a low blow from Facundo Campazzo, who said he was retaliating from a Chris Paul shot earlier in the game. Two days later in the quarterfinals, France’s Nicholas Batum wound up and drilled Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro in the unmentionables, saying he “wanted to give them a good reason to flop.”

BEST NEW FACES

With Phelps stepping away from the Olympic swimming spotlight, a trio of young women are poised to fill his void. Missy Franklin, 17, took home five medals in London and set world records in the 200-meter backstroke and 4×100-meter medley relay. Franklin’s haul was expected, but 15-year-old Katie Ledecky’s gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle was a surprise. Both should be strong medal contenders in 2016 and beyond. Outside the pool, U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas became the first African-American to win the individual all-around title and became one of the biggest new stars to emerge out of London.

WORST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

A handful of Olympic athletes didn’t get the memo that messages posted on Twitter can be viewed by the public and should be made carefully. Greek triple-jumper Paraskevi Papachristou didn’t even get to compete in London before she was sent packing after a tweet perceived as offensive about African immigrants. Switzerland’s Michel Morganella was far less subtle in earning his one-way ticket home. The soccer player wrote in French that South Koreans “can go burn” and they were a “bunch of mongoloids.”

BEST QUOTE

“ ‘Inspire a generation’ is our motto. Not necessarily ‘Create a generation’, which is what they sometimes get up to in the Olympic village.”

WORST BOYFRIEND

German rower Nadja Drygalla left London on Aug. 3 after the discovery that her boyfriend, Michael Fischer, was the member of an extremist political party in her home country inspired by the Nazis.

BEST REASON TO LOOK FORWARD TO 2016

The Olympics heat up in four years, going from the overcast skies of London to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Golf will make its return to the Olympics after not appearing since 1904, and Tiger Woods said this month he would like to participate. “I’ve got to qualify first,” Woods said. “If I get in, it would be great.”

hgoodman@nypost.com