No fashion show on earth can compete with the Olympics. Sinewy muscles, eight packs galore, lithe, lissome bodies glistening with the sweat of years of toil and practice, the world at its performing best.

Watching the Jamaican girls make a clean sweep of the podium in the classical track event of 100 metres, one is struck by the sheer beauty of not just their physique but also their locks. Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce with her neon-and-flaming-orange streaked hair has set the tracks on fire not just in Tokyo but around the world. But she just got edged out by her younger compatriot Elan Thomson-Herah who sported a metallic hairband on her straw coloured hair, while their youngest teammate Shericka Jackson sported a headful of black hair to claim the third place. They brought back the memory of the original track goddess of the bold fashion choices: Florence Griffith Joyner, whose 100 metre record Thomson-Herah broke this year.

Hair styles dominated from the opening ceremony with Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka appearing in stunning red braids as she lit the cauldron. Amya Clarke of St Kitts-Nevis sported pink locks. Mongolian shooting coach Undralbat Lkhagva has Olympics rings shaved into the back of his head, each of the five circles dyed a different colour.

But the most eye-catching act was done with nail art which dazzled as athletes blew kisses to fans or said hello to their loved ones or held up their medals on the podium. Team India’s P.V. Sindhu and Manika Batra have donned the tri-colour and the interconnected Olympic rings on their talons, inspiring Insta fans to follow suit.