Tokyo Olympics: 10 best moments from the Tokyo Games you need to watch- The Tokyo Olympics has ended with the USA being the leader in both gold medals and total number of medals. The Summer Games, which were delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bore witness to great moments of triumph, history, and the crackdown on gender barriers. Here are the top 10 moments from the Tokyo Olympics that you cannot miss:
10. Tokyo Olympics: Child skateboarders stealing the debut sunshine
Skateboarding made its Olympic debut in Tokyo. The skills and the outfits alone made it immediately watchable, as did the rise of the teen prodigies in the women’s event.
A historic #TokyoOlympics ✅
These are the first-ever Olympic medalists in the Olympic debut of street and park skateboarding. pic.twitter.com/UOIhtLK6v7
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
In the women’s street event, Momiji Nishiya (13), Rayssa Leal (13), and Funa Nakayama (16) won the three medals. Sakura Yosozumi (19), Kokona Hiraki (12), and Sky Brown (13) won the women’s park medals.
9. Tokyo Olympics: Two high jumpers decide to share gold
Qatar’s Mutaz Essah and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi’s moment melted hearts. The two high jumpers battled for hours but could not beat the other. Rather than heading into a tie-breaking jump off Qatar’s Mutaz Essah Barshim asked “Can we share the Gold?”
When the answer came back yes, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi jumped into Barshim’s arms on the track. Both had suffered through near career-ending injuries, both had come back at their best.
The true essence of sportsmanship.
🇮🇹 Gianmarco Tamberi and 🇶🇦 Mutaz Barshim are approached about a high-jump tiebreaker jump-off… and agree to share the Olympic title.#Athletics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/HyyJU0MtT3
— Gavan Reilly is out of office (@gavreilly) August 1, 2021
“I know for a fact that for the performance I did, I deserve that gold. He did the same thing, so I know he deserved that gold,” Barshim said afterward. “This is beyond sport. This is the message we deliver to the young generation.” A message of sportsmanship and love.
8. Tokyo Olympics: Mirabai Chanu wins India’s first Tokyo Olympics medal
Chanu opened India’s medals tally as she bagged a silver in the Women’s 49kg category at Tokyo International Forum. Chanu on Tuesday received a rousing reception in Imphal as she arrived in her native state Manipur, after a sensational show in the ongoing Tokyo Games.
Glad to celebrate my birthday with my family after such a long time. This birthday became even more special as I received my biggest reward in form of my Olympic medal.
Thankyou everyone for sending me your best wishes. pic.twitter.com/f655FleDxV— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) August 8, 2021
Chanu returned to her hometown of Imphal on Tuesday and she is now spending some time with her family. The weightlifter had won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
“This feeling of meeting my family after a long span of 2 years is beyond words. I’m grateful to each one of you for showing faith in me and supporting me. Thank you, Ema and baba for all the sacrifices you made for me to reach this level,” Mirabai Chanu tweeted.
7. Tokyo Olympics: Caeleb Dressel takes home five gold medals in swimming
U.S. star swimmer Caeleb Dressel, 24, came into these Olympics with high expectations but no individual Olympic medals. He’s leaving with three golds in individual events and two golds in relays.
Caeleb Dressel had an Olympics to remember 👀 pic.twitter.com/tPa99mBruO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 1, 2021
He set Olympic records in the 100-meter freestyle and the 50-meter freestyle. He also led off the gold medal-winning men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay.
“I think the U.S. has been so dominant for so long, to put my stamp on the sport is very special,” he said on the last day of Olympic swimming.
6. Tokyo Olympics: Sifan Hassan falls in a 1,500-meter race and still wins
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan entered the last lap of her 1,500-meter heat, where she was a medal favorite. Abruptly, the runner in front of her fell and brought her down too.
With 11 runners in front of her and a huge lull to makeup, Hassan stood up and started pitching them in. She passed five of the fastest runners in the world on the final straightaway and won the heat.
Never give up!
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands tripped with one lap to go in a preliminary heat of the women’s 1500m but got back up to continue the race.
She ended up winning her heat to advance. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/gU536XvyHg
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2021
“Believe me, it was horrible, but sometimes I think bad things happen for good. When I fell down I said to myself, OK life doesn’t always go the way that you want,” she said. “After that, I felt like somebody who drank 20 cups of coffee. I couldn’t calm myself down.”
Furthermore, she went on to win bronze in the final a medal she wouldn’t have without managing to pull off the near-impossible in the qualifying race. She also took gold in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters.
5. Tokyo Olympics: Indian women’s hockey team make history
Indian women’s hockey team entered the semi-finals of an Olympic event for the first time. In a major upset against Australia India went through to the semi-finals in a very impressive fashion. They defended 8 penalty corners and ensured that they always had the lead. Historic day in the world of Indian hockey as the Indian women’s team reached the semi-finals for the first time ever.
Gurjit’s goal, Savita heroics help India women reach first semi-finals, upsets Australia 1-0; Argentina up next in semis.#Tokyo2020 #OlympicGames #Hockey pic.twitter.com/uNBDZTTpgp
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) August 2, 2021
On the other hand, the men’s hockey team also won an Olympic medal after 41 years. They defeated Great Britain in the bronze medal match.
4. Tokyo Olympics: Simone Biles makes a statement
In a series of unfortunate events, the USA Gymnastics announced that the six-time Olympic medallist Simone Biles will not participate in the floor final.
“Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week. Either way, we’re all behind you, Simone,” USA Gymnastics tweeted.
She’s back. @Simone_Biles will return for the balance beam final. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/apkWpEf95Z
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 2, 2021
However, Biles competed in the balance beam final, the last women’s event on the Tokyo Olympics gymnastics schedule.
3. Tokyo Olympics: British swimming’s medal haul
The success of childhood friends Matty Lee and Tom Daley was part of Tokyo Olympics Magic with gold medals also won by Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke and Tom Pidcock in the cross-country mountain bike race. Peaty was part of another story though, as British swimming enjoyed its best-ever medal haul.
Look at Tom Daley and Matty Lee pic.twitter.com/1u67uQ1i1z
— inumaki toge (@imkrissuela) August 5, 2021
The victories ranged from Peaty’s excellent title defense to Tom Dean, whose preparation was disrupted by two bouts of Covid-19, pulling past Duncan Scott in the 200m freestyle to win the gold medal by millimeters as Britain recorded it’s first 1-2 in 113 years.
2. Tokyo Olympics: 14-year-old diver Quan Hongchan scores two perfect 10s
14-year-old diving spectacle Quan Hongchan competed in her first Olympics and gained perfection.
Quan scored 2 perfect 10s, with two dives that received combined perfect scores from the judges’ panel in the 10-meter platform event.
Sensational from #CHN‘s Quan Hongchan!
The 14-year-old receives two perfect 10 scores as she wins gold in the women’s 10m platform #Diving.@fina1908 pic.twitter.com/1Y0badJv60
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 5, 2021
“I was a little nervous, but not very, just a little bit,” she said and thanked her parents for watching back home in China. “I want to thank them for encouraging me, encouraging me to relax, and telling me to just go for my dives freely because it doesn’t matter whether I get a medal or not.”
1. Tokyo Olympics: Neeraj Chopra brings India’s 1st ever athletics medal after 100 years
Indian champion Neeraj Chopra created Indian Sporting History. India won an Olympic GOLD Medal, courtesy of Neeraj Chopra’s mammoth throw of 87.58 meters.
This was India’s first-ever Athletics Gold Medal & only 2nd ever INDIVIDUAL GOLD medal after Abhinav Bindra’s GOLD in shooting in 2008 Beijing. World No. 1 Johannes Vetter flopped big time and exited the event early.
THE THROW THAT WON #IND A #GOLD MEDAL 😍#Tokyo2020 | #StrongerTogether | #UnitedByEmotion @Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/F6xr6yFe8J
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 7, 2021
Neeraj began his quest for a medal with a massive throw of 87.03 meters and was leading the pack after the end of the first attempt. He bettered it with the second throw of 87.58m.
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