The Olympics editions have been replete with moments of agony, pain, dejection, exultation and celebration. The Tokyo games also had its share of unforgettable scenes, sportspersons performing extraordinary feats or ending up with severe heartbreaks. The 2020 edition, held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, also happened to be a unique one as similar to sporting events presence of an invisible enemy, Corona, was also keenly observed. As the curtains came down on one of the biggest sporting extravaganzas on the 8th of August everyone, including the International Olympics Committee, heaved a sigh of relief that the games concluded smoothly without any pandemic-induced hiccups. Hence, it is time to relive some moments from Tokyo Olympics that would be hard to shake off from our minds.
Tokyo’20 Moments That Are Tough to Dislodge From Memories
1. The Man With The Golden Arm
From an oversized kid of Haryana to the ‘Golden Boy’ of India in the Javelin Throw at the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra has traversed the extremes to triumph at the ultimate temple of sporting carnival. Unlike other fancied participants from India, the lad from Panipat was largely in the news for his million-dollar looks. Belying all expectations, Chopra became the first track and field player from India to win Gold for the country. Chopra holding the yellow metal on the podium will remain the moment to savour for sports fans, especially the Indians, across the globe for a long time to come.
2. German women gymnasts rebellious outfit
Going against the “sexualisation” of the sport, Germany’s women gymnasts took part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with fully covered outfits. The attire in question was a far cry from the ubiquitous bikini-cut leotards. The women gymnasts were initially spotted in the long-suits at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in April this year. The girls’ defiance will continue to be an occasion to remember in the history of the Olympics.
3. Simone Biles’ exit and reappearance
After Naomi Osaka at the French Open this year, American Gymnast Simone Biles became another sports celebrity to pull out from a major event like the Olympics due to mental health issues. Biles sought time to suppress twisties (a situation wherein the mind and body are not on the same page). However, unlike Osaka, the US Gymnast came back within a week and won the bronze in the balancing beam final event. As a result of this medal, she now has 7 medals at the Olympics. More than her achievement, it is her guts to accept mental health as a big problem that makes her withdrawal difficult to shrug off from one’s memory.
4. The Qatari-Italian show of camaraderie
This will remain a rarest of a rare moment in the Games history for decades to come. The event in question was the men’s high jump event where there was nothing to separate Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi in the finals. The scenario prompted the duo to share the Gold. This happened to be a “once in a lifetime” moment where two friends, who struggled with injuries to reach the final, in the end deservedly stood as equals on the Olympic podium.
5. Agony For Indian Women Hockey Players
They were chasing history and had to defy insurmountable odds stacked against them as well. The Indian women hockey players’ quest for an Olympic medal was riddled with ups and downs but they defied all expectations to break into the Bronze play-off. However, despite the spirited display the girls in blue came tantalizingly close to pocket the medal but could never lay their hands on it as they lost the match 2-3 to Great Britain. The disappointment of losing the maiden opportunity was writ large on the faces of Rani Rampal and the girls and the facial expressions post the heartbreaking loss will be hard to erase from our collective memories.
6. The Golden Lift
This cry of jubilation will linger on in our memories for a long time to come. Philippines’ Hidilyn Diaz’s moist eyes after finishing first in the women’s 55-kg weightlifting conveyed the emotions and the desperations to secure the yellow metal quite clearly. The triumph happened to be the country’s first-ever Olympic gold in any sport and the feat will be relished by fans forever. This one is clearly for posterity.
