Putin used the Olympics to show that Russia has a long history of arts, letters, music, and dance, and was not the enemy of the world that a falling America claimed it to be.
Russia would spend everything to accomplish that media public relations change. It doesn't hurt that Obama is reiging over a declining United States, while Russia and China are presenting a resurging replacement.
-PJ
My impression is similar to yours. The world, with many people too young to remember the cold war or the Jimmy Carter boycott, was introduced to Russia. Putin succeeded wonderfully. I suspect that Sochi will become a cruise ship destination. The other way Putin succeeded was with the Russian people. Their pride at the end of the Olympics was apparant.
What Putin did was incredible. Obama did everything he could to turn it into a gay pride embarrassment for Putin. The media and Obama practically dared the terrorists to do bad stuff. Yet, Putin pulled it off. And those opening and closing ceremonies? Wow. Compare that to a Superbowl halftime show.
So, yeah, I'd say Putin succeeded. One wonders if it will be the last successful Olympics, with the way the world is going.