Gisele Bundchen makes (final?) turn on catwalk, steals show at Olympic Opening Ceremony

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:15 p.m. ET

Chris Chase

With the famed Brazilian bossa nova song, The Girl from Ipanema, being played on the piano, the country's most famous export, supermodel Gisele Bundchen momentarily stole the show at Rio's Opening Ceremony, catwalking (for allegedly the final time) across the floor of the Maracaná.

Rumors had surrounded the involvement of Mrs. Tom Brady (or, should I say, Mr. Gisele Bundchen) in the Opening Ceremony, with a minor controversy erupting this week when word came out that her appearance might involve a mugging at a food cart. The so-called racist scene was cut out and the Ceremony's director eventually said a bit of the tale got lost in translation and that the scene was cut because "it wasn't funny."

Early on in the Opening Ceremony, Brazil has celebrated its creation, formation, individuals and its distinctive features. Though hit or miss, it's been the opposite of a deflating experience, which should please Gisele.

The Girl From Ipanema was a 1964 hit, inspired by a "tall and tanned and young and lovely" teenage girl who would walk by a Brazilian bar and get catcalled from the men drinking inside. It's the second-most recorded song in history, only behind one written by a performer at the last Summer Olympic Opening Ceremony: Yesterday.