Every Olympics writes its own stories and has its own breakout star, and the Tokyo Games were no different. A total of 93 countries won medals, by far the most ever, including San Marino, which had never won one in its Olympic history, yet left Tokyo with three. San Marino's entire population of 33,000 people could've filled some of the Olympic venues (had spectators been allowed, of course). Meanwhile, Bermuda, an island of just 63,000 people became the smallest country ever to claim an Olympic gold, and Tajikistan finally won its first Olympic medal--a silver--the last of the former Soviet republics to do so.
We also saw the introduction of four new sports and a slew of new events, which all seemed to draw a positive reception. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will all return in 2024, while 3x3 basketball is a permanent addition. I'm curious to see what the reaction to each will be in Paris, but the IOC seemed pleased with each.
Anyway, on to my top 10. And, yes, there were much more than 10 moments to choose from, so it wasn't easy to narrow down this list. I also decided it wasn't going to be Team USA exclusive, even though choosing a USA Top 10 and an international Top 10 would've been easy.
10. Pictogram Men: Yes, the pictogram men made my Top 10 list! It was such a cool, clever and creative way to celebrate Japan's contribution to all Olympics since Tokyo's first go-round in 1964. It's also the last thing you'd expect to see at an Opening Ceremony, which I think is part of why it worked so well. (It was Tokyo's own skydiving Queen moment.) Some people didn't like it and found it a little weird. Those people are wrong! Because the pictogram men were wonderful!
9. Strong Showing By the Hosts: Host nations typically see a bump in their medal haul, but I don't think anyone expected Japan to do this well! They won 58 total medals and 27 golds, both by far their most ever. And they did it in a wide array of sports. A dominant performance in judo (which could've been expected), as well as very strong showings in each of the new sports that they added for these Games. I guess they chose wisely!
8. USA-Australia Swimming Rivalry Renewed: It's long been dormant, but the USA's rivalry with Australia in the pool was back in full force in Tokyo! Especially on the women's side, where Ariarne Titmus beat Katie Ledecky head-to-head twice and Emma McKeon won seven medals, the most-ever by a woman at a single Olympics. Titmus is only 20, so she's not going anywhere. Which means the battle in the pool should be just as hot in Paris!
7. Topping the Medal Table On the Last Day: People lost their minds when the U.S. didn't win a single medal on Day 1 (it should be noted that since there were morning swimming finals, the first ones weren't held until Day 2). Then had to watch as Americans disappointed in a lot of sports the U.S. was expected to dominate and China build a seemingly insurmountable lead in the gold medal count. However, with three gold medals on the last day, including one in women's volleyball and another by track cyclist Jennifer Valente, the U.S. ended up with a 39-38 edge to top the gold medal count for the third straight Olympics, while also once again leading the overall medal count with 113.
5. Allyson Felix's Farewell: That ending couldn't have been more perfect had it been scripted. Allyson Felix closed her Olympic career in style, winning a bronze in the 400 that shines just as brightly as her 200 gold from London. Then she was on that star-studded 4x400 relay team that capped the meet with a dominant victory. An Olympic career that spanned 17 years and saw her go from teenage prodigy to mom ended with 11 total medals, the most ever by an American woman. Although, something tells me this isn't the final chapter of her Olympic story. She's a native of Southern California, so expect her to be handing the torch to Michael Phelps seven years from now in LA. Or maybe even lighting the cauldron herself.
4. Baseball & Softball's Return: After being unceremoniously dropped from the program in 2005, baseball and softball made a triumphant return 13 years after they were last played at an Olympics. And they showed they belong! Those were probably the two gold medals Japan wanted the most, and they got them both, beating the U.S. in a pair of dramatic finals. Just imagine how electric the crowd would've been had those games been played in a full stadium!
3. Caeleb Dressel Inherits the Throne: With Michael Phelps now retired, "who will be the USA's new swimming star?" was a valid question to ask. Caeleb Dressel was one of the leading candidates for that role, but he wasn't just gonna be anointed Phelps' successor. He was gonna have to earn it. And boy did he! Five gold medals, two world records and two Olympic records. And such beautiful raw emotion when he saw/got to talk to his family.
2. Two 400 Hurdle Races For the Ages: Going into these Olympics, we thought we might see something special in both 400 meter hurdle finals. And that's exactly what we saw. First it was Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin posting the two fastest times in history, with a silver medal Benjamin's only reward for running faster than the previous world record. Then it was another Sydney McLaughlin-Dalilah Muhammad duel in the women's race. They bring out the best in each other, and a world record is often the result. Which is exactly what happened in Tokyo, with McLaughlin lowering the mark she set barely a month earlier at Trials.
1. The Dominance of the American Women: If the American women were their own team, they would've finished sixth in the medal standings. None of this is breaking news. The women have carried the U.S. team for several Olympics now, but that doesn't make their dominance any less impressive. Particularly in team sports. Basketball and water polo continued their gold medal streaks, while indoor volleyball finally broke through for its first Olympic gold. There was also a silver in softball and a bronze in soccer, as well as all of success in the non-team sports.
6. April & Alix Win Gold: April Ross now has a complete set of Olympic medals: silver in London, bronze in Rio, gold in Tokyo. And she's done it with three different partners. Alix Klineman, meanwhile, is a beach novice who was playing in her first Olympics. You never would've known it. The A-Team is arguably the best team in the world, and they showed it. Incredibly, it was their first major championship.
5. Allyson Felix's Farewell: That ending couldn't have been more perfect had it been scripted. Allyson Felix closed her Olympic career in style, winning a bronze in the 400 that shines just as brightly as her 200 gold from London. Then she was on that star-studded 4x400 relay team that capped the meet with a dominant victory. An Olympic career that spanned 17 years and saw her go from teenage prodigy to mom ended with 11 total medals, the most ever by an American woman. Although, something tells me this isn't the final chapter of her Olympic story. She's a native of Southern California, so expect her to be handing the torch to Michael Phelps seven years from now in LA. Or maybe even lighting the cauldron herself.
4. Baseball & Softball's Return: After being unceremoniously dropped from the program in 2005, baseball and softball made a triumphant return 13 years after they were last played at an Olympics. And they showed they belong! Those were probably the two gold medals Japan wanted the most, and they got them both, beating the U.S. in a pair of dramatic finals. Just imagine how electric the crowd would've been had those games been played in a full stadium!
3. Caeleb Dressel Inherits the Throne: With Michael Phelps now retired, "who will be the USA's new swimming star?" was a valid question to ask. Caeleb Dressel was one of the leading candidates for that role, but he wasn't just gonna be anointed Phelps' successor. He was gonna have to earn it. And boy did he! Five gold medals, two world records and two Olympic records. And such beautiful raw emotion when he saw/got to talk to his family.
2. Two 400 Hurdle Races For the Ages: Going into these Olympics, we thought we might see something special in both 400 meter hurdle finals. And that's exactly what we saw. First it was Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin posting the two fastest times in history, with a silver medal Benjamin's only reward for running faster than the previous world record. Then it was another Sydney McLaughlin-Dalilah Muhammad duel in the women's race. They bring out the best in each other, and a world record is often the result. Which is exactly what happened in Tokyo, with McLaughlin lowering the mark she set barely a month earlier at Trials.
1. The Dominance of the American Women: If the American women were their own team, they would've finished sixth in the medal standings. None of this is breaking news. The women have carried the U.S. team for several Olympics now, but that doesn't make their dominance any less impressive. Particularly in team sports. Basketball and water polo continued their gold medal streaks, while indoor volleyball finally broke through for its first Olympic gold. There was also a silver in softball and a bronze in soccer, as well as all of success in the non-team sports.
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