Olympic Games Review: The highs, lows and controversies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games | Athletics News

The postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics has come to an end after two weeks of thrilling competitions, with more than 11,600 athletes fighting for glory.

At the closing ceremony on Sunday, no spectators were allowed to enter the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, which was the case throughout the game, as the coronavirus pandemic was vaguely visible during the game.

Nevertheless, the event witnessed many unforgettable moments; from the historic sprint champion, to the legendary gymnast Simone Biles who was praised for her mental health stance, to Belarus The scandal of the sprinter, and the sulking boxer.

High Point

The United States tops the medal list with 39 gold medals, one more than China’s 38, and the host Japan has 27.

Lamont Marcel Jacobs of Italy wins A shocking men’s 100m gold medalThis is the first time since 2004 that Jamaican retired legend Usain Bolt has won an Olympic championship. Jacobs’ victory of 9.80 seconds also set a new European record.

Italy 4×100 meters Sprint relay teamIncluding Jacobs, they continued to win another amazing victory, increasing Italy’s total track and field gold medals in Tokyo to 5 points-surpassing the previous best three-pointer.

Although the men’s results were unexpected, Jamaican women’s sprinters dominated their sprints predictably, winning 100m, 200m and 4×100m relays.

Elaine Thompson-Hera of Jamaica became the first woman to win a “double-double”; she won gold medals in the 100m and 200m races in Tokyo to retain her two gold medals in the same event at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

On Saturday, American athlete Alison Felix participated in the 4×400m relay race [Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters]

Meanwhile, American sprinter Alison Felix Won a record 11th Olympic medal, Has become the most decorated female track and field athlete in the history of the Olympic Games, and is also the most decorated female athlete in the history of the United States. Felix achieved this feat by winning the gold medal in the 4×400m relay on Saturday.

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra made history, winning his country’s first Olympic track and field gold medal in history.

In swimming, Tunisia’s 18-year-old Ahmed Hafnaoui shocked the sports world. Won the 400m freestyle.

Hafnaoui entered the final race with the slowest qualifying time among eight swimmers. His victory is only the fifth medal in the history of the Tunisian Olympics.

For the first time in the history of the Olympics, skateboarding has been regarded as an event-Japan’s 13-year-old Nishiya Momiji won the gold medal in the women’s street skateboarding competition and became the country’s The youngest gold medalist.

Surfing also made its debut in the Olympic Games, with Brazil and the United States winning gold medals in men’s and women’s competitions respectively.

Japanese women’s street skateboarding gold medalist Westinghouse Momiji celebrates [Lucy Nicholson/Reuters]

Low point

In an extraordinary scene, French boxer Murad Aliyev protest He refused to leave the ring for about an hour after he was disqualified for deliberately bumping his head.

Aliyev said in his post-match speech: “I would have won, but some people have said that I was disqualified.” “I have prepared for this for a whole life, so it is natural to be angry with this result.”

In track and field, the American men’s relay team’s Failed to qualify for the 4×100m final Criticized by critics as “completely embarrassing.”

Despite entering the Olympics with three of the world’s fastest 100m runners, the relay team ranked sixth in the semifinals.

The American team did everything wrong in the men’s relay. The passing system was wrong, the athlete ran the wrong leg, and obviously there was no leader. The US team looks worse than the AAU kids I saw, which is totally embarrassing and totally unacceptable.

-Carl Lewis (@Carl_Lewis) August 5, 2021

In tennis, the world’s number one Australian player Ashley Barty lost to Spain’s Sara Solibes Tormo in a straight set 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.

Japanese hero Naomi Osaka also lost the third round 6-4 and 6-1 in less than an hour and was also out early.

inspiration

American gymnast Simone Byers withdrew from several games to pay attention to her “mental health” is a major topic throughout the Olympics.

Byers is considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time. He retired from an injury in a team vault and then missed five of the six events.

“Life is more than gymnastics… We must protect our minds and bodies, not just go there and do what the world wants us to do,” she said.

Although some authority figures and people on social media criticized her decision, Byers received Pour in support and praise Because of her difficult decision. Byers later won the bronze medal in the women’s balance beam event.

One of the most touching moments in the game came from skaters from Brazil and Australia. They rushed to comfort Japanese star Miso Okamoto, who entered the final with a lead, but failed to lose one of her skills in the final many times.

Wiping away tears, the 15-year-old girl was lifted onto the shoulders of other contestants to celebrate her performance.

Mutaz Balhim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tambori of Italy Choose to share a rare Olympic track and field gold medal The high jump is hailed by many as one of the most exciting moments in the game.

After the men’s high jump final of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, August 1, 2021, Qatar’s gold medalist Mutaz Balhim (left) and Italy’s Gianmarco Tambori celebrate on the track [Christian Petersen/Pool Photo/AP Photo]

Although they jumped 2.37 meters, they failed to break the Olympic record of 2.39 meters.

Looking at the standoff to decide the final winner, Bashim asked the authorities whether they could share the gold medal-the authorities allowed and accepted this move with pleasure.

The athletes cheered, and media experts and audiences praised their sportsmanship.

At the same time, female athletes are fighting for gender rights at the Olympics, and the German women’s gymnastics team wore tights instead of bikini-cut tights to issue a statement about the gendering of female athletes.

The number of male, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes participating in the Olympics also hit a record high.

According to data from the website Outsports, more than 180 publicly LGBTQ people participated in the competition-three times the number of the 2016 Rio Olympics-which shows that the popularity, acceptance and success rate of LGBTQ Olympians has surged.

dispute

The case of Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya refocused Continuing political discord In the former Soviet Republic.

When this 24-year-old young man Denied boarding and return After arriving in Minsk, he then asked the Japanese police to provide protection. Tsimanouskaya claimed that after she criticized their decision, her team tried to force her to fly home against her wishes.

On Wednesday, the sprinter landed safely in Poland after obtaining a temporary humanitarian visa.

Karate’s historic debut at the Olympics Ended in an uproar In the final match, Saudi Arabia’s Tarreg Hamidi was disqualified for high kicks, which made his opponent Iran’s Sajad Ganjzad unconscious, but the men’s weight was over 75 kg. Won the gold medal in the finals.

At the same time, the pandemic means that the Olympics have long been shrouded in controversy and protests, as the new wave of coronavirus threatens to postpone the Olympics for a second time after a year.

Before the opening ceremony, there were about 100 cases related to the competition. As the Olympics progressed, the number of infections increased to more than 400.

Since the start of the pandemic, the surge in the number of infections in Tokyo has repeatedly broken the record of most daily cases recorded in the city, although the organizers seem to have prevented the Olympics from becoming a worrying COVID-19 super-spreading event.

Demonstrators protest the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government office building, Japan [File: Kimimasa/Mayama/EPA]

Several protests took place in the city, with hundreds of people participating, demanding that the International Olympic Committee and Japanese authorities cancel the Olympics.

According to one Ipsos polls in 28 countries A few days before the opening, 78% of Japanese respondents said that for safety reasons, the Olympic Games should not be held.

Although support for hosting the Olympics seems to have increased with the progress of the Olympics, the favorability of the Japanese government has declined. Some opinion polls show Approval rate is less than 30% Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

At the same time, Japan is burdened with 15 billion U.S. dollars in bills, twice the initial expectations.