New records, incredible feats and so much more: here are the top 5 most memorable moments and incredible incidents from the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
As Aussies eagerly wait for the 2032 Summer Olympics to take place here in sunny Brisbane, Queensland, we look back at the last Summer Games and recollect some incredible moments.
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After an entire year of waiting for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Summer Games), the event finally kicked off on July 23, 2021. For decades, the Olympics have always been characterized by phenomenal moments that always bring laughter, tears, awe, shock and all kinds of emotions to spectators. With over 200 countries participating for the gold, silver and bronze medals in different sports, it is one of the world’s biggest and most anticipated sporting spectacles.
For fans of sports betting online, the Olympics season presents a multitude of winning opportunities for players who make the correct predictions. And while some sports bettors are in it for the win, others just enjoy the thrill of backing their favourite sportspersons and teams, with winning bets being just an extra perk that levels up excitement.
This year, the 2020 Summer Olympics was no different, as the athletes did their best to outshine one another while changing history in the process. Fans cheered them on how best they know, with many putting their money where their mouth is by backing up the support with wagers. As is the norm with each Summer Olympics installment, there are usually some notable moments that will forever be imprinted in our minds. Some of the unforgettable moments for this year’s event include:
Two Athletes Share a Gold Medal
The Men’s High Jump turned into a two-person affair with reigning champion Mutaz Barshim from Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy battling it out after tying in the 2.37m jump. After three attempts to outdo each other in a jump-off, they could not clear the 2.39m height. The athletes were to keep trying in the jump-off until a winner emerged, but Barshim asked the Olympics official if it would be possible to have 2 golds, to which the official responded, “It’s possible, yes!”
This was obviously a transformative moment in history that led to two friends sharing a gold medal once the judge agreed to the tie. The internet was abuzz with the news of the unlikely joint championship that had the two athletes constantly embracing and congratulating each other. However, there was no silver medalist for the event, and the bronze went to Belarusian athlete Maksim Nedasekau.
A Condom Helps Win Australia Bronze Medal
Jessica Fox, an Australian canoeist who is a 7-time world champion and Olympic Champion, pulled one of the most creative moves – she used a condom issued by the Olympic Games Village to mend her damaged kayak. She even posted a TikTok showing the steps she took in fixing the boat that later helped her win bronze in the K1 event.
This must have set some precedence for good luck as just two days later, she went on to become the first Olympic Champion in the canoeing Slalom C1 event, where she grabbed a gold medal.
New European Record for Men’s 100 Meters
On July 31, 2021, the world was blindsided by little-known Italian sprinter Lamont Jacobs who finished first in the Men’s 100 meters final. He won gold in a personal best and beating the European record with 9.80 seconds. Not even his competitors saw this coming as he was not on anyone’s radar for any of the medals, as it was his first-ever race at the Olympics after a sports career in the long jump.
The first two rounds saw him finish in second and third positions, respectively, but his speed peaked in the final round, where he accelerated from 20MPH at the 30-meter mark to 26.76 MPH at the 72-meter mark. He is the first Italian Olympic sprint champion in over 40 years after Pietro Mennea, who won the Men’s 200 meters in the Moscow 1980 Olympics. He also broke Usain Bolt’s Rio 2016 record of 9.81 seconds and Linford Christie’s Barcelona 1992 European Record of 9.96 seconds.
Shot Put Deja Vu
If the top 3 medalists in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Men’s Shot-Put sound like a rerun of a previous event, it’s because they won in the same exact order as in the Rio 2016 Olympics. The gold, silver and bronze medals were won by USA’s Ryan Crouser, USA’s Joe Kovac and New Zealand’s Tom Walsh, respectively, just like at the 2016 games. But, of course, the scores were different, with Crouser setting a whole new Olympic record at the 23.30-meter mark.
Another One for the Books!
These Olympics were made even more special by the scepticism from different parties, some of who still pushed for postponement …again! We are just glad that it was a success, and we can’t wait to see what surprises and beautiful moments the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics will bring to our screens.