The Tokyo Games will be remembered as the first to be held in a pandemic, but also as those in which enshrined stars such as Kevin Durant Y Yulimar Rojas they shared Olympic glory with teens dressed in jeans and riding a skateboard.
It was the Games of the exceptions. Teams in the United States could be counted on to extend their winning streaks in basketball, or Eliud Kipchoge would revalidate the title in marathon. Even with that Rojas would beat the world record for triple jump. Predictability does not detract from his exploits.
But nobody could imagine that an Italian would win the 100m, that a Tunisian would take the 400m freestyle, that an Indian would dominate the javelin contest or that Russia would lose in rhythmic gymnastics.
Nor could Simone Biles, the reinventor of gymnastics, be expected to retire from competition to preserve her sanity.
The Olympic spirit worked its magic to compensate, after long months of pandemic uncertainty, more teams than ever: 93 countries entered the final medal table, seven more than in 2016 and 2012, six more than in 2008.
China was ahead in the global tally until the final matchday, when it was overtaken by the United States by just one gold medal, 39 to 38.
Team sports witnessed the step forward taken by France, which is preparing to triumph at the Paris Games in just three years and which was gold in men’s and women’s handball, silver in basketball, and gold in men’s volleyball.
The Americans won the two basketball golds, the seventh in a row for them, the fourth for them, and also the women’s water polo and volleyball.
Japan won in baseball and softball, which is why they proposed that these sports return to the Olympic program in Tokyo. Hockey titles went to Belgium for men and the Netherlands for women. The men’s water polo went to Serbia. New Zealand and Fiji, men and women, took gold in rugby.
In the pool the American Caeleb Dressel won the right to claim the throne of Michael Phelps after closing his participation in Tokyo with five gold medals, one less than the six to which he aspired in the Japanese capital. In the 100 butterfly he signed his victory with a world record (49.45).
The women’s events were fertile ground for the Australians. Ariarne titmus staggered on its pedestal the legendary Katie ledecky, which he beat in the 200 and 400 free; Kaylee mckeown dominated backstroke racing with wins at 100 and 200; and the sprinter Emma mckeon said goodbye to the Japanese capital with seven medals, four of them gold in 50, 100 and 4×100 freestyle and 4×100 styles.
The tunisian Ahmed HafnaouiThe 18-year-old took gold in the 400m freestyle after entering the final with the worst time. He did not have relevant results in international competitions except for some podium in African championships.
Three world records were broken in athletics events, led by the Venezuelan Yulimar Red in triple jump and the Norwegian Karsten warholm and the american Sydney mclaughlin in 400 meters hurdles.
Withdrawal of Usain bolt, which seemed to make it easier for the United States to regain hegemony in 100 and 200 meters, was not taken advantage of by the North American team. The heir was, to everyone’s surprise, an Italian: Marcell Jacobs. He won one of Italy’s five medals, all gold.
The jamaican Elaine thompson–Herah repeated double in 100 and 200 and hung a third gold as a member of the 4×100 relay, surpassing the harvest of the Dutch Sifan Hassam, who obtained the titles of 5,000 and 10,000 meters along with a bronze in 1,500.
The american Allyson felix, 35, increased to eleven (7 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) his universal record for Olympic medals with an individual bronze in 400 meters and two golds as a member of the two relays.
Among the exceptionalities, the victory of a European, the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, at 1,500; that of the indian Neeraj chopra in javelin, before the gaze of the great dominator of the discipline, the German Johannes Vetter; and that of the Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali over 3,000 hurdles after nine consecutive Kenyan titles.
The greatest marathoner in history, the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, closed the stadium with his majestic stride and a second consecutive gold. He is the third man able to retain his crown at 42,195 meters.
Simone biles she kicked the board of the sports system when she arrived in Tokyo as a probable star of the Games and retired on the second day of competition, overwhelmed by the pressure. He suffered an episode of mind-body disconnection that prevented him from doing his exercises. He only participated in the bar final, in which he did not need to do pirouettes, and won the bronze medal.
The American gymnast brought to the Olympic stage the problem of the mental health of the athletes that had already removed from the circuit for almost two months another participant in the Games, the Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka.
Without Biles, the two great protagonists in the Ariake were the local Daiki Hashimoto, with 19 years the youngest in history to win the full contest, and the Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, general silver after the North American Sunisa lee and gold in jumping, the first medals of Latin American women’s gymnastics.
Novak Djokovic, in his best season in terms of titles, he squandered his chances of winning the ‘Golden Slam’ in Tokyo and was even off the podium, downed by rackets of good play by the Spanish Pablo Carreño. The gold went to the German Alexander Zverev. In women, for the Swiss Belinda Bencic.
Another consecrated athlete who added Olympic brilliance to his record was the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, who in the long-distance race defeated two heavyweights of world cycling on the Fuji circuit, the Belgian Wout van aert and the slovenian Tadej pogacar, recent winner of the Tour de France.
The Games featured the participation of the first transgender athlete, the New Zealand weightlifter Laurel hubbard, who was eliminated at the first change after three unsuccessful attempts at the start. Then she was grateful for the opportunity and announced her retirement.
The new sports brought a fresh breeze to the Games, as did a bunch of teenage champions who almost had a hard time understanding the significance of their Olympic achievements.
The premiere of skateboarding ended with the youngest podium in history, formed by the Japanese Momiji nishiya and the brazilian Rayssa Leal, both 13 years old, gold and silver, and also Japanese Funa Nakayama, 16, bronze in the street category.
In the park test the British Sky brownAlso at 13, he shared the joy for his bronze medal with his 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
Also spanish Alberto Gines, a climbing champion, at the age of 18 brought new life to another sport that was making its debut at the Games.
Surfing, which like the previous ones, will continue as an Olympic sport, and karate, which will not be at the Paris Games, also premiered in Tokyo. His place will be taken by ‘breakdancing’, another urban sport with which the IOC wants to launch the rod to the younger public.