2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics

• Abstract

After being postponed a year due to Coronavirus concerns, Tokyo finally welcomed the Olympic games to Japan on July 23^rd, 2021.

• Opening Ceremony

The Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony was more of a whimper than a bang.

The International Olympic Committee tried to use the ceremony – and the Games themselves – as a step into the future, but the opening pageant was a muddled, controversial affair that couldn’t escape the looming present.

It was an odd, sometimes awkward, and tonally dissonant four-hour presentation that tried to balance the weight of the ongoing pandemic with the joy and elation that usually accompanies the world’s most prestigious athletic competition. There were fireworks, but no big audience to cheer for them. There were remembrances for those lost to COVID-19, even as some masks slipped below noses and mouths. IOC President Thomas Bach spoke of “hope” and “resilience,” while Japanese protesters vociferously denounced the Games outside the stadium. The theme was one of triumph over a common foe, except that the world is nowhere near completely “defeating” the deadly virus.  

• Day 1 Storylines

It was a disappointing start to the Tokyo Olympics for Team USA, which failed to win a medal on the first day of the Summer Games in almost 50 years. Olympic historian Bill Mallon pointed out it was the first time the United States did not receive a single medal on Day One of the Summer Olympics since the Munich Games in 1972.

A total of 11 gold medals were given out Saturday and U.S. athletes suffered several upsets that meant they did not receive gold, silver nor bronze for any of the events. To be fair, none of the sports that gave out medals Saturday are ones in which the United States is particularly strong. But there were at least a few in which Team USA was expected to do better. The first gold medal was won by Yang Qian from China in the 10-meter air rifle competition. Mary Tucker, the American competing in the event, was expected to do well as she is ranked No. 2 in the world but ended up placing sixth. There were also high hopes for Eli Dershwitz, who is ranked No. 2 in the world in saber but lost to Kim Jung-hwan of South Korea, who ended up winning the bronze.

Team USA’s archers also suffered upsets Saturday. Brady Ellison, who is ranked No. 1, and Mackenzie Brown lost in the first round in the mixed team. “I’m still a little shocked,” Ellison, a three-time medalist, told USA Today. “I completely expected us to win a medal today. We got in that stadium, and I shot left. Mackenzie started getting it figured out there at the end. I shot left that entire match trying to aim off for the wind. That finals venue kicked my ass. I just didn’t see it and that cost us the match.”

Cyclist Brandon McNulty also seemed destined to win a medal and seemed to be on his way for much of the men’s road race as he pulled away from the group. But he ended the race in sixth place while Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz came out on top and won his country’s second-ever gold medal. Jourdan Delacruz, a 23-year-old weightlifter from Texas, was not able to convert any of her three attempts in the clean and jerk and finished seventh.

There is, of course, a lot of Olympics still left and the failure to medal doesn’t mean it was all bad news for Team USA that saw victories in basketball, softball, and water polo.

• Day 2 Storylines

Sunday started with the first gold medal for the United States, won by Chase Kalisz in the men’s 400-meter individual medley. Ahmed Hafnaoui, 18, of Tunisia was the surprise winner of the men’s 400 free. Australia swam away with the women’s 4×100 relay, and the United States, with Simone Manuel swimming the anchor leg, won the bronze medal.

Simone Biles made her debut, but the American women’s gymnastics team was overshadowed by Russia. Biles even made some errors, flying out of bounds in the floor exercise and stumbling on her beam dismount.

After a shaky exhibition campaign that included two losses, the American men’s basketball team faltered again in its Olympic opener against France, 83-76.

After lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony, Naomi Osaka dispatched Zheng Saisai in her first tennis match, 6-1, 6-4.

For the first time ever, there was skateboarding at the Olympics, with the men’s street competition, and the gold medal went to Yuto Horigome of Japan.

The United States won just its third gold medal in women’s fencing as Lee Kiefer won the foil event with a 15-13 victory over top-ranked Inna Deriglazova of Russia. The two previous golds were both in saber by Mariel Zagunis in 2004 and 2008.

Anastasija Zolotic won the first women’s taekwondo gold medal ever for the United States.

On day 2 of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, the U.S. Collected 10 Medals, second only to China.

• Day 3 Storylines

American swimmer Caeleb Dressel led the men’s team to a gold medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay on Monday, marking Team USA’s second gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Dressel is on a quest to win six gold medals at the Games and is often referred to as the successor to Michael Phelps, the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals.

Team Japan claimed gold medals in the first two events of skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics, as Nishiya Momiji won the women’s street final after compatriot Yuto Horigome won the men’s. Momiji, 13, was joined on the podium by another 13-year-old, Rayssa Leal of Brazil, who won silver, and 16-year-old Nakayama Funa of Japan, who took home the bronze.

Unfortunately, there were 16 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 among people at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, including three athletes and one personnel member staying at the Olympic Village. The total stands at 153, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

Meanwhile, the city of Tokyo reported 1,429 new cases on Monday, an increase in the rolling seven-day average of 141.2%, according to data released by the Tokyo metropolitan government.

There were no confirmed cases among the 1,144 U.S. Olympic delegates in Japan as of Sunday.

• Day 4 Storylines

Overnight (in the United States) at the Tokyo Games, the most noteworthy result came in the women’s tennis competition, where Opening Ceremonies star Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the third round by Marketa Vondrousova, an unseeded player from the Czech Republic. The inaugural Olympic surfing medals were awarded, including a gold to American Carissa Moore, and Lydia Jacoby who is a 17-year-old swimmer from Alaska stole the show in the pool. As a new day began stateside, the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad’s quest for gold in the team competition was derailed after Simone Biles withdrew because of a medical issue, and the U.S. softball team fell short against Japan, 2-0, in the gold medal game.

• Day 5 Storylines

American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles decided not to compete in Thursday’s final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics so that she can “focus on her mental health,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement Wednesday.

“Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals,” the sport’s national governing body added. “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”

Moreover, Team USA’s swimming star Katie Ledecky was back in the pool racing for gold and Olympic history only an hour after she failed to place in the 200-meter freestyle.

Ledecky easily beat her competition, winning by more than four seconds in the 30 lap-race and becoming the first woman to win a gold medal in a 1,500-meter freestyle. Her teammate Erica Sullivan won silver.

After losing their first game since 2004 on Sunday to France, the U.S. men’s basketball team easily beat Iran 120-66. Players Damian Lillard and Devin Booker helped lead Team USA to victory with 21 and 16 points, respectively.

Furthermore, the U.S. women’s team beat Team ROC 18-15 to win the first-ever gold medal in women’s 3×3 basketball. The U.S. team only lost one game throughout the entire tournament, and the win increases Team USA’s gold medal count to 11.

• Day 6 Storylines

Sunisa Lee joined an impressive club on Day 6 of the Tokyo Games, becoming the fifth straight U.S. gymnast to win the individual final at the Olympics.

As she earned gold with teammate Simone Biles supporting from the stands, Lee headlined a superb day for Team USA. Caeleb Dressel and Bobby Finke—who attended the same college—swam to a gold, and two beach volleyball teams added another win.

Additionally, international stars Novak Djokovic and Luka Doncic continued their impressive runs in tennis and basketball, respectively. And a long drought ended for Ireland, too, in Rowing.

• Day 7 Storylines

The women’s basketball team once again started slowly but showed its class in winning its 51st straight game in Olympic competition, beating Japan 86-69 behind double-doubles from Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson.

In rugby, the U.S. women won Group B, finishing with a 14-12 win over Australia, but the team was overwhelmed in a 21-12 quarterfinal loss to Great Britain, the same country that knocked out the men at the same stage of competition. 

Elsewhere, the news wasn’t quite as good, with the U.S. men’s volleyball team falling to 2-2 with a loss to Brazil.

On the water, the unthinkable happened, as neither the men’s nor the women’s rowing eights won a medal. The women had won three gold medals in a row. For the first time in history, the U.S. won no medals whatsoever in rowing.

In the last and perhaps most thrilling matchup of the evening, the U.S. women’s soccer team advanced past the Netherlands on a penalty shootout after a 2-2 tie.

• Day 8 Storylines

In the pool, rising superstar Caeleb Dressel dominated the field in the Men’s 100m butterfly, setting a new world record of 49.45 seconds. Meanwhile, established super star Katie Ledecky won the 800m freestyle yesterday and with it became the first female swimmer to win six individual gold medals in the Olympics.

The wins were each their third gold medal at the 2021 Games, Dressel now has four total Olympic gold medals for his career while Ledecky has now won seven.

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of the individual finals competitions for vault and uneven bars after withdrawing from individual all-around finals earlier this week. “She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam,” USA gymnastics said in a statement.

The second day of track events featured an Olympic-record run by Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica in the 100m and the first gold medal in the mixed-gender 4×400 relay for Poland.

Thompson-Herah successfully defended her 2016 gold medal in the 100m with an Olympic record time of 10.61 seconds. Jamaica swept the event with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce taking silver and Shericka Jackson the bronze.

Poland was victorious in the first mixed-gender 4×400 relay in the 2020 Games, setting a new Olympic record set just 24 hours earlier. The U.S. team won the bronze.

After the first game loss to France, Team USA Men’s Basketball Team found its rhythm in the last two games, finishing the group round with a 119-84 win against Czech Republic. The effort was led by Jayson Tatum with 27 points and helped the team secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

The 2021 Olympic Games has been a monumental moment in the history of action sports. Not only have surfing and skateboarding made it to the world’s largest stage, but the cycling discipline has also expanded to include BMX freestyle for the first time. 

• Day 9 Storylines

The fastest man in the world is Marcell Jacobs of Italy. He won gold in the 100-meter dash with a time of 9.80 seconds. Fred Kerley of the United States won the silver.

Caeleb Dressel of the United States won his fourth gold medal of the Games in the 50-meter freestyle. Emma McKeon of Australia won her third gold in the women’s 50 free. In an uncharacteristically exciting 1,500-meter freestyle, Bobby Finke of the United States came from behind in the last 50 meters to win.

The United States has never lost a men’s medley relay in any Olympics it has competed in, and despite a challenge from Britain, the Americans won it again in Tokyo, setting a world record and earning Dressel yet another gold medal, his fifth. Australia won the women’s medley, edging the U.S., and making McKeon only the second woman to collect seven medals in one Olympics.

In golf, Xander Schauffele of the United States won the first gold medal for the United States since 1904 (it should be noted that golf was not held at the Games between 1904 and 2016). Rory Sabbatini, a South African playing for Slovakia, the country of his wife’s birth, was second.

In gymnastics event finals, Rebeca Andrade, the all-around silver medalist, won gold in the women’s vault, while MyKayla Skinner of the United States won the silver. Nina Derwael of Belgium won the uneven bars, with Sunisa Lee of the U.S. third. Artem Dolgopyat of Israel won the men’s floor exercise, and Max Whitlock of Britain won the pommel horse.

The first track final of the day was women’s shot put. Gong Lijiao of China won gold, and Raven Saunders of the United States took silver.

In tennis, Alexander Zverev of Germany defeated Karen Khachanov of Russia, 6-3, 6-1, to win the men’s singles. The Czech team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeatedBelinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland in women’s doubles. And Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev won an all-Russian mixed doubles final.

The featherweight Duke Ragan of the United States clinched a men’s boxing medal with a win in his quarterfinal, as did the super heavyweight Richard Torrez. Katherine Nye won a silver, the first medal at the Games for the United States in weight lifting.

In yachting, the Laser events concluded with Australia winning the men’s gold and Denmark the women’s. The Chinese divers Shi Tingmao and Wang Han were 1-2 in women’s springboard diving, with the American Krysta Palmer in third.

Adeline Gray of the United States advanced to a gold medal wrestling match with a 3-2 victory over Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan. The United States earned a second consecutive bronze medal in men’s team foil fencing, defeating Japan.

• Day 10 Storylines

Valarie Allman and Jade Carey became the latest Americans to capture gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday.

Allman became the first American to secure a gold in a track and field event in Japan by winning the women’s discus event. Carey continued the successful gymnastics meet for the American women with a first-place finish in the floor exercise.

The pair increased the United States’ gold medal haul to 22, second behind China’s 29. However, the U.S. holds a 64-62 advantage over China in the overall medal table after Day 10’s early events.

• Day 11 Storylines

Tuesday was a monumental and enjoyable day in world athletics. Competitors shattered world records, added to Olympic history and made triumphant returns. 

Whether it’s the epic 400-meter hurdles final, Elaine Thompson-Herah’s historic pair of victories, Simone Biles showing out once more or even something as comparatively low-stakes as a potential Luka Doncic triple-double, all Olympics fans will remember something from Day 11 forever.

Team USA’s Rai Benjamin ran the race of his life in the final of the men’s 400-meter hurdles.

Considering we’re talking about someone who just a little over one month ago at the U.S. Olympic Trials ran the second-fastest 400-meter hurdles time ever recorded (46.83 seconds), a new personal best is really saying something.

Not only did Benjamin beat his personal best, but he shattered it with a time of 46.17 seconds.

When Benjamin and Co. started their race, the world record was 46.70 seconds, set by Norway’s Karsten Warholm on July 1 of this year, meaning he bested the world record by 0.53 seconds.

Unfortunately for Benjamin, Warholm was busy smashing his own world record with a time of 45.94 seconds, leaving Benjamin to settle for silver.

The Norwegian sprinter got out of the blocks faster than any of his challengers and raced out to a big lead in the first 200 meters. Benjamin almost caught up to Warholm as the two entered the final straightaway, but he fist-pumped his way through a dominant closing stretch on his way to a new world-record time that even he couldn’t believe.

Simone Biles came back for one last bow in Tokyo, competing in the balance beam individual final.

As expected, Biles performed a less complicated routine than usual by her otherworldly standards. That paid off, as the legend made few mistakes, dismounted with a small hop off the beam and flashed a thousand-watt smile. Biles won bronze with a score of 14.000, placing behind Chinese gymnasts Guan Chenchen (14.633) and Tang Xijing (14.233). American teammate and all-around champ Sunisa Lee finished fifth.

The undisputed best ever in her sport, Biles had nothing to prove by returning to competition. The fact that she did and won an Olympic medal—and looked like she was having fun again—is something to celebrate.

• Day 12 Storylines

American Sydney McLaughlin broke her own 400m hurdles world record in unseating defending Olympic champion teammate Dalilah Muhammad for gold.

Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson ran a personal-best 49.34 to win the third semi of the women’s 400m, finishing as the round’s top qualifier into the final; Allyson Felix took second in a season-best 49.89, advancing.

Japan’s Sakura Yosozumi took gold and Cocona Hiraki, 12, took silver in the first women’s Olympic park skateboarding final. Sky Brown, 13, took bronze.

• Day 13 Storylines

Historically speaking, USA vs. Australia in Olympic men’s basketball feels like a No. 1 seed facing a No. 16 seed in the first round of an NCAA tournament. In 18 previous trips to the Olympics, USA has won 15 gold medals and been on the podium every time. For Australia, nary a medal in 14 previous tries.

But if you didn’t know any better, the first 15 minutes of that semifinal pairing would’ve led you to believe Australia was the quadrennial superpower in hoops.

The Aussies jumped out to a 41-26 lead, and it was more than just a “three-point shots weren’t falling” problem for the Americans. Australia played as a cohesive unit on both ends of the floor, while USA played basically no defense whatsoever and—outside simply letting Kevin Durant do his thing—couldn’t create scoring opportunities on offense.

But the Americans woke up and started asserting their dominance inside the three-point arc, particularly Durant’s ability to make nearly impossible mid-range jumpers look semi-automatic.

Team USA closed the first half on a 16-4 run to cut the deficit to three points. And then it was the Durant and Jrue Holiday show to start the third quarter, as that duo scored the first 12 points of the second half.

In the span of nine minutes, a 15-point deficit turned into a nine-point lead for Team USA. They gradually blew the game wide open from there, outscoring the Aussies 32-10 in the third quarter (a 48-14 run overall from the middle of the second). In addition to the drastic change on the scoreboard, Zach LaVine threw down a couple of soul-crushing fast-break dunks as exclamation points.

Durant finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Devin Booker added 20 points in a 97-78 victory. 

Team USA’s April Ross and Alix Klineman have made things look relatively easy throughout the women’s beach volleyball tournament. During pool play, they only lost one set, and they bounced back from it to win that match comfortably. They proceeded to win each of their first two matches of the knockout portion of the tournament in straight sets.

But in the semifinals against Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre, the “A-Team” really made it look easy.

Though it wasn’t quite the biggest blowout of the tournament—Team USA’s Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil won a pool-play match 21-8, 21-6—the A-Team’s 21-12, 21-11 victory over the Swiss duo was the most emphatic win since the field was whittled down to 16.

• Day 14 Storylines

On Friday, much of the action came at the track, with hardware given out in both sprinting and distance events as well as individual and relay races. The United States’ “A-Team” of April Ross and Alix Klineman took gold in beach volleyball, and three medals were decided between men’s and women’s soccer. The daily programs are getting smaller as the Games wind down, but the action remains top-notch.

The men’s 50-kilometer walk has always had an egregious misnomer. Calling it a walk makes it sound like a leisurely stroll, but those dudes are booking it, pushing their bodies to the limit and then some.

And in what is scheduled to be the final 50-kilometer walk in Olympic history, Poland’s Dawid Tomala pushed his body to the limit better than anyone else, winning the race in a time of three hours, 50 minutes and eight seconds—36 seconds better than his closest challenger.

That margin was much wider prior to the finish line. Tomala began to separate himself from the pack about halfway through the race and led by more than three minutes with five kilometers to go. Because of that cushion, he was able to take his foot off the gas and somewhat cruise to the finish line.

• Day 15 Storylines

Allyson Felix won her 11th Olympic medal Saturday night in Tokyo, the most ever by a U.S. track and field athlete. Felix, 35, took gold as part of a dominant 4×400-meter relay team that also featured Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu. Her 11 medals across five Olympics surpass Carl Lewis, whose mark she tied Friday with a bronze in the 400 meters. The U.S. men’s 4×400 relay team also won gold in the next race on the final night of track and field at National Stadium.

The U.S. equestrian jumping team, including Jessica Springsteen, earned a silver medal, falling short of Sweden in a jumpoff Saturday night. Springsteen, 29, is the 14th-ranked rider in the world and the daughter of famed musician Bruce Springsteen.

The American team also includes Laura Kraut and McLain Ward, who, along with Springsteen, navigated the shortened jumpoff course in a combined time of 124.2 seconds. Peder Fredricson, the final Swedish rider, needed to move through the track in 40.30 seconds and did so in 39.01, earning Sweden’s first gold medal in the event since 1924.

• Closing Ceremony

Tokyo Olympics 2021, Day 16: The Tokyo Olympics are officially over. IOC President Thomas Bach declared the Games closed after the French flag was raised inside Olympic Stadium for the transition to Paris 2024. After a short performance in the stadium, the cauldron closed around the Olympic flame, extinguishing it.

The ceremony included a ska band on a stage with people dancing, juggling and soccer players moving around an elevated stage in the center of the stadium. Medals for the marathon were presented — an Olympic tradition — followed by traditional Japanese dances inside the stadium and on the videoboard. An opera singer performed during the International Olympic Committee anthem, then the transition to Paris 2024 that included a flyover in front of thousands of fans in front of the Eiffel Tower.

• Sources

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