Over 11 thousand athletes competed for medals for 16 days in the 32nd Summer Olympic Games, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which were supposed to be held in 2020 but were postponed because of the global epidemic. There were unforgettable moments throughout the games.
The official opening of the games held on July 23 saw the athletes fight hard for medals in many categories from July 24.
It was the best race in history in the 400 meters hurdles
On the 11th day of the Games, the best 400 meter hurdle race in history was held.
In the 400-meter hurdles final, Norway’s Karsten Warholm, number 1 in the world, won the race with a time of 45.94 and also broke his own world record (46.70).
Rai Benjamin of the USA broke the North American record with a time of 46.17 and won the silver medal, while Alison dos Santos of Brazil broke the South American record with a time of 46.72.
Record competition in women’s 100m backstrokes in swimming
In swimming, records were broken in the women’s 100 meters backstroke on two consecutive days.
Regan Smith of the USA broke the record with a time of 57.86 in the semi-final race. While there was a big medal struggle in the last race, Australian Kaylee McKeown broke the Olympic record with 57.47 and won the gold medal. Regan Smith, who broke the record in the semi-finals, took the bronze medal with a time of 58.05.
Besides swimming, athletes broke new records in weightlifting and shooting.
In tennis, Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty were eliminated early and Novak Djokovic failed to make the gold slam.
While tennis was one of the most anticipated disciplines in the games, the favorite names could not avoid being eliminated early in the games.
Australian Ashleigh Barty, who is number 1 in women’s singles, was defeated in the first round. Losing to Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo, 48th in the world ranking, Barty said goodbye to the games early.
World number 2 Naomi Osaka was also one of the favorites who was eliminated in the third round by losing to world number 42 Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, the world number 1 in men’s singles, missed his chance to give the “gold-slam” to German Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals in Tokyo 2020.
Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon titles this year, was aiming to win the US Open, the last major tennis tournament of 2021, after winning Tokyo 2020. Thus, Djokovic missed the opportunity to become the first and only male tennis player to make a “gold-slam” in history.
Simon Biles much talked about
One of the names spoken in the games was US gymnast Simone Biles.
Biles, one of the most important gymnasts in the world, did not take part in some races in Tokyo 2020 because of mental health problems.
The 24-year-old athlete, who did not make it to the finals of the general classification, jumping table, asymmetrical bar, and floor machine in artistic gymnastics, struggled on the balance beam on the 11th day of the games. The US gymnast won the bronze medal, falling behind her Chinese competitors in this category.
Despite the problems Simone Biles had, he got the 31st medal in his career.
Support to Palestine from Algerian athlete
Algerian Judoka Fethi Nourine withdrew from the games to support Palestine.
Fighting at 73 kg, Nourine decided to withdraw from the games to support Palestine in order not to encounter Israeli Tohar Butbul, who would be his opponent in the possible matchup of the last 32 rounds.
Due to such a decision, the International Judo Federation suspended the license of the Algerian judoka.
The USA lost after 17 years in basketball but took the gold medal
The USA, which comprised NBA players, lost to France 83-76 in the group fight.
The USA nevertheless won the gold medal by defeating France 87-82 in the final.
After Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and Rio in 2016, the USA also won gold in Tokyo in 2020. The USA became the champion for the 16th time in total in men’s basketball, which took part in the Olympics for the 20th time.
Moster, who made racist rhetoric, was fired
Patrick Moster, the sporting director of the German Cycling Union, who made racist statements against Ethiopian Amanuel Ghebrezgabier and Algerian Azzedine Lagab during the bicycle road races, was dismissed.
Although he later apologized, the German Olympic Sports Confederation dismissed Moster.
San Marino celebrates its first medal in its history
San Marino experienced its first medal joy in Olympic history in Tokyo 2020.
With a population of 34 thousand, San Marino won the bronze medal with Alessandra Perilli in the shooting trap category. San Marino, which won another silver and bronze medals in athletics and wrestling, made history as the smallest country to win a medal in the Olympics at all times.
San Marino, which took part in the games with 5 athletes, also showed the success of winning 3 medals.
Qatar draws the first blood and Ghana the second
In boxing, athlete Samuel Takyi won the bronze medal in 57 kilograms, giving Ghana an Olympic medal 29 years later. Ghana last won a medal in 1992 in Barcelona.
Qatari weightlifter Fares Ibrahim Elbakh won the gold medal in the 96 kg category, becoming the first Olympic champion in his country’s history.
Two athletes win gold medals in the high jump
Two athletes won the gold medal in the men’s high jump in Tokyo 2020.
Mutaz Essa Barshim from Qatar, Italian athlete Gianmarco Tamberi, and Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau made the same level by jumping 2.37 meters.
Cuban wrestler Lopez made history with 4 gold
Greco-Roman style 130 kg wrestler Cuban Mijain Lopez Nunez became one name that made history in Tokyo 2020.
Lopez, who became the Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020, made history as the first wrestler to win consecutive gold medals in 4 Olympics.
US athlete Felix increases the number of medals to 11
While the USA won the women’s 4×400 meter relay race in athletics, Allyson Felix, who competed for her team, had the chance to increase the number of medals a little more.
Felix, who won the bronze medal in the 400 meters final, increased the number of medals to 11 with the gold she won with her team.
Ethiopian athlete breaks 33-year record
Another historical result in athletics was experienced in the women’s 1500 meters final.
Ethiopian Faith Kipyegon, who won the gold medal in this race, broke the Olympic record. She succeeded in doing this with a rating of 3.53.11, surpassing Romanian Paula Ivan’s rating of 3.53.96, in Seoul 1988, 33 years ago.
Another record set in Seoul broken
Another record set in Seoul 1988 in athletics was broken in Tokyo 2020.
In the women’s 100 meters final, Jamaican Elaine Thompson won the gold medal with her time of 10.61. USA’s Florence Griffith Joyner held the record with 10.62 in Seoul 1988.
India wins its first track and field gold medal
India has won its first ever gold medal in track and field discipline.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra bagged India’s first Olympic gold medal and the third medal in track-and-field events. The first two medals in the track and field event were bagged in the 1900 Paris Olympics by a British national Norman Pritchard.
4 disciplines took part in the games for the first time
In Tokyo 2020, athletes sweated for the first time in 4 disciplines.
Sport climbing, karate, skateboarding, and wave surfing were included in the Tokyo 2020 program for the first time. Baseball/softball, which took part in the last 2008 Beijing Olympics, was included in the games again.
Outfit against sexism by German female gymnasts
The Germany Women’s National Gymnastics Team participated in the competitions in Tokyo 2020 in full-body clothing to take a stand against “sexual objectification in gymnastics”.
German Elisabeth Seitz and Kim Bui, who have recently participated in the championships with their different styles of clothing, entered the competitions in swimsuits that covered their entire body, instead of swimsuits that left their legs open.
The German athletes, who went to the aforementioned dress change at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship, which was first held in April, announced that they had done so to take a stand against sexual objectification in gymnastics, and received many messages of support from their colleagues around the world.
Russian athletes did not compete under their flag
Russian athletes, who were not allowed to take part in the games because of the doping scandal, fought for the medal without using their national anthem. Athletes competed under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Refugee athletes also took part
As in Rio 2016, the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team competed in the Games. The Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, representing 82 million displaced people around the world, took part in the games with 29 athletes in 12 disciplines.
430 people caught the virus
On the last day of Tokyo 2020, it was announced that the number of people who were diagnosed with Covid-19 increased to 430. It was reported that 29 athletes, 25 media members, 21 volunteers, and 109 game-related personnel were among the diagnosed persons.
Japanese protest against the games
The Japanese, who did not support the games organized a signature campaign for their absence, also protested on the opening and closing days. The Japanese, who gathered around the Japan National Stadium where the opening ceremony was held and protested, gathered in the same way on the closing day.