The Tokyo Olympics 2020 delayed by a year, organized in a situation of uncertainty, has finally come to a halt! We saw around 15 days of intense action and unparalleled sportsman spirit!
The last day of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 saw the United States of America getting the first spot and rising to the top of the table! The US got a total of 113 medals of which 39 are gold medals. China, following the USA by the closest margin, got to the second spot on the last day of the Games. China had remained on the top for the entire time. The Chinese campaign ended with a total of 88 medals. Of these 38 are gold medals! The host Japan remained in the third position and finished their campaign with a total of 58 medals of which 27 are gold medals!
India’s Moments To Cherish In The Tokyo Olympics 2020
Tokyo Olympics 2020 turned out to be the most fruitful one for India. With seven medals which included one gold medal, two silver medals, and four bronze medals, it was the most in the history of India’s Olympic campaign! Here are the moments that will be etched in the memories of Indians for ages to come!
Neeraj Getting A Gold
Neeraj Chopra, India’s athlete and representative in the Men’s Javelin Throw event won the first-ever Olympic medal in the track and field events. He also became the first Indian athlete to get a gold medal in this category! He not just fulfilled the long dream of every Indian but also did what PT Usha and Milkha Singh Ji had missed doing by 0.01 and 0.1 seconds respectively!
Hockey Rises To Glory After 41 Years
The Indian Men’s hockey team succeeded in finishing on the podium after 41 years. Owing to the fact that India has Hockey as its national sport and has dominated the field in the past, it indeed was way too special for Indian fans! The Indian Women might have missed the podium but the way the girls played was beyond amazing! They opened up new pathways for the Indian women in the hockey field!
India Making A Mark On Golf Course With Aditi
India’s golfer Aditi Ashok played an extremely good game wherein she not just succeeded in grabbing international audiences but also drew the attention of youngsters towards a not-so-well-known sport in India. She remained in the second position for three rounds continuously but missed out on the medal on the last day of the event. This too happened by just a stroke! Nevertheless, she will be remembered for her excellent performance for ages to come!
Though there were a lot of moments to be cherished, in fact, every moment was enough to make people believe in the power of sports, we should also see the moments that brought warmth to people’s hearts irrespective of their region, religion, color, and culture!
A Shared Gold
The moment from the Tokyo Olympics 2020 that defied all odds was when two high jumpers decided to share the medal! Qatar’s Mutaz Essah Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, two close friends and jumpers with nearly the same backstory went on to jump again and again but neither of them bested the others. When it was thought that the competition would go into a tie-break, Mutaz asked the officials if they could share the gold. On getting a positive reply, the two agreed and jumped into each other’s arms! They stood on the podium hand-in-hand! This will eventually inspire people towards the positive sportsmanship competition for ages to come!
German Gymnasts wore Unitards in standing against Sexualization
The German Gymnasts left the Bikini-cut unitards and wore the full-body unitards to stand against the sexualization of sports. They had done the same European Artistic Gymnastic Championships in April. This apparently came after the Norwegian Women’s Handball Team was fined for wearing shorts instead of Bikini Bottoms at the European Brach Handball Tournament!
Proud With A Gold in Hand
Tom Daley, the American diver said with the gold in his hand that he is Proud to be a gay and an Olympic Champion. This statement made a stir and many homophobic comments were also seen. He also gained the eyeballs for the way he maintains his mental health during the games- by knitting sweaters! Though many people found it unusual, it was seen as cool on many people’s part!
Simone Biles withdraws for Mental Health
Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts made it into the headlines when she withdrew from an event for her mental health. Yet, the champion came back and won the bronze medal in the Women’s balance beam category!
Trans-athletes approved
The IOC approved Laurel Hubbard, a trans athlete to compete in weightlifting. Though she did not get any medals, she became the first trans-athlete to compete at the Olympics!
Also, a transgender athlete Quinn made it to the podium with gold for the first time. She was playing with the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team and won the gold!
14-year old gets 2 perfect 10s
The Chinese diving prodigy, 14-yr old Quan Hongchan, competed in her first Olympics and showed immense perfection! She went on to win the gold and her two perfect 10s were enough to send her into the headlines!
There were many such tales, and the Tokyo Olympics came with many such inspiring and emotional cuts! The athletes standing on the podiums with their deceased family-members pictures did melt people’s hearts! The emotions that come along with sports are surreal as it takes years of blood, sweat, and tears to get those few moments of fame! Though the Summer Olympic 2020 has finally ended, the excitement for the Paralympics has already heightened!
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Also Read:
Tokyo Olympics Day-10: Women’s Hockey Team Makes History, Into Semis
Tokyo Olympics Day-15: History created, Neeraj comes back with first-ever Athletics Gold Medal
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