Wow. That was harsh. As jarring as one of those “better than the boys” right hooks that Michelle Obama told the IOC that her father taught her.

Chicago 2016, one (vote) and done. First of the four bid finalists to be excused from the competition, today in Copenhagen.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, won the vote, with Madrid second, Tokyo third … and Chicago bringing up the rear.

And only hours earlier, Chicago leaders seemed confident their city would win the vote. Instead, Chicago got punked. It’s the Second City for a reason. Except that today, it was Fourth City. Ouch.

Though, it should be noted, Phil Hersh, veteran Olympics reporter for the Chicago Tribune, seemed to have a presentiment of doom after Chicago’s final presentation — which led off the proceedings today and preceded the vote by several hours.

“The Chicago presentation seemed to lack an overarching theme, touching on many aspects,” Hersh wrote on the Tribune’s breaking-news Web site. “Some media observers felt that, with the exception of the Obamas, much of Chicago’s presentation was a bit flat.

“Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, author of Olympic reference books and a TV consultant during recent Games, minced no words in summing up Chicago’s final presentation.

‘”Without the Obamas, Chicago had nothing,’ he said.”

Apparently, Wallechinsky nailed it.

Even the Obama husband and wife team didn’t seem to bring their A Game to the event.

The president was on the ground in Denmark less than five hours. He already was in Air Force One, headed back to Washington, before the voting started. (And now probably wishes he hadn’t bothered with the punishing over-and-back trip … that left him associated with a failed bid and prompted pundit to muse about how much political damage was incurred.)

In distilling his remarks to the IOC, Obama seemed to be suggesting that Chicago be awarded the 2016 Games because, well, he considers Chicago his home and really likes it. He almost seemed to make it a referendum on himself.

“You see, growing up, my family moved around a lot,” the Tribune reported him as saying. “And I never really had roots in any one place or culture or ethnic group. Then I came to Chicago. And on those Chicago streets, I worked alongside men and women who were black and white; Latino and Asian; people of every class and nationality and religion. I came to discover that Chicago is that most American of American cities, but one where citizens from more than 130 nations inhabit a rich tapestry of distinctive neighborhoods.

“Each one of those neighborhoods — from Greektown to the Ukrainian Village; from Devon to Pilsen to Washington Park — has its own unique character, history, song, and sometimes language. But each is also a part of our city — one city — a city where I finally found a home.”

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama also seemed to make the presentation about moi.

According to the Tribune, “She mentioned her father suffered from multiple sclerosis: ‘Even as we watched my dad struggle to hold himself up on crutches, he never stopped playing with us. And he refused to let us take our abilities for granted. He believed that his little girl should be taught no less than his son. So he taught me how to throw a ball and a mean right hook better than any boy in our neighborhood.’

“‘My dad was my hero,’ she added. ‘And when I think of what these Games can mean to people all over the world, I think about people like my dad: people who face seemingly insurmountable challenges …'”

Hmm. Well. Kudos for the Obamas for going over and supporting their city. But it seems clear the IOC needed something more convincing than, “It would make the Obamas happy” to vote for Chicago.

One former IOC member suggested the president’s five-hour Copenhagen drop-in might actually have worked against Chicago, calling it “too business-like.” Kai Holm, former IOC voting member, also said, “It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect.”

And we all know that kowtowing to the IOC is Job 1 if you want to get the Games.

Other potential factors in the punking of Chicago:

–It has a history of political corruption. If foreigners know anything about Chicago, Illinois, it tends to be Al Capone and gangsters and political bosses. (Well, yeah, there is that … Right Mayor Daley? Right, Rod Blagojevich?)

–The two most recent U.S. -hosted Olympics left tainted legacies. Atlanta 1996 had the terror bombing; Salt Lake 2002 is remembered by the IOC for the embarrassing bribery scandal involving several of its voting members. If aversion therapy is real … you can see how all those long-serving IOC members might not want to be back in the States any time soon.

–The low regard of the U.S. currently around the globe. Blame it on George W. Bush and Iraq; blame it on an apparently widely held perception that greedy U.S. consumers brought on the current worldwide recession. However you analyze it, the U.S. is not going to win many global popularity contests at the moment. And the Obamas apparently can’t change that, either, just by showing up.

–A feeling that it was South America’s Turn. South America and Africa never have hosted an Olympics, and the Brazilians worked that story line. Hard. The country’s president also noted that, among the countries with the world’s top-10 economies, Brazil was the only one that never had hosted an Olympics. That probably resonated among Third World voters.

–Chicago’s own apparent indifference about hosting the Games. The Chicago Tribune last month reported that a poll of local residents showed a bare plurality — 47 percent — supported the Olympics coming to town, while 45 percent opposed the idea. The support numbers was down from 61 percent in February. IOC members had to be aware of that, and it couldn’t have helped Chicago in the slightest.

–It’s still Chicago, after all. Not exactly a first-choice U.S. destination for foreigners. Not exactly a glamorous concept. To wit: What sounds like more fun? Three weeks in Rio (or Madrid or even Tokyo) … or three weeks in Chicago?

Exactly.

So, a bid with tepid local support, last-minute presidential endorsement, from a second-tier world city known for political corruption and located in perhaps the least popular country on the planet …

One and done sounds about right.