2020 Tokyo Olympics Overview

Tanner Lee ’23 Co-Lead Sports Editor

This summer, thousands of world-class athletes from around the globe competed in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

The games, originally set for last year, were rescheduled for 2021 due to Covid-19. The Tokyo Olympics kicked off on July 23 with its iconic opening ceremony, in which countries normally present their athletes to eager fans. Miko Coakley ’23 said, "The drones forming a globe over the stadium felt like even though the Olympics had no spectators, everyone was there together.” At the end of the ceremony, Japan’s own tennis superstar Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron to officially begin the summer games.

For the next sixteen days, athletes took part in over three hundred events across thirty-three sports. These games consisted of classic sports, such as Swimming, Track and Field, and Gymnastics, but also included new ones, such as Skateboarding.

Swimming this year was mainly headlined by Team USA’s Caeleb Dres- sel, who finished his games with five gold medals and two world record setting races in the Men’s 100m butterfly and Men’s 100m freestyle. “[My favorite part about the Olympics was] Caeleb Dressel winning the 100- free because it was such a close race, and he was extremely emotional afterwards,” said Alexander Skula ’25.

Gymnastics was particularly eventful this summer because of seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles. She decided to take a mental break during the Olympics, originally withdrawing from the entire Individual all-around competition. Ripley Chance ’26 commended her and other athletes’ decisions, saying, “I liked seeing a lot of very talented people lifting each other up, and also taking a break if they needed to. It’s a good mental-health message to all.” Ultimately, she was able to make a remarkable comeback to secure a bronze medal in the Balance Beam final for Team USA. Natalie Billings ’27 said, “I really liked seeing Simone Biles come back and stay supportive of her team even though she had to leave some events.” First-time US Olympian Sunisa “Suni” Lee displayed incredible skill throughout her summer games as well, winning a gold, silver, and bronze in the Individual all-around competition, the Team competition, and the Uneven bars respectively.

In Track and Field, one of the most impressive feats was during the Women’s 100m race where all three Jamaican runners topped the podium. Elaine Thompson-Herah won gold and broke the Olympic record, while teammates Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson brought home silver and bronze respectively. Demi Adeniran ’23 said, “[It was amazing to watch] Jamaica sweep the podium in the Women’s 100m and then winning the 4x100m later on.” The three aforementioned women along with Jamaica’s Briana Williams nearly broke the world record in a clear-cut win during the 4x100m Relay.

Meanwhile, the US Women’s team saw two-time Olympian Sydney McLaughlin take home gold and shatter the world record in the Women’s 400m Hurdles. Her teammate Dalilah Muhammad finished in second place. These two, along with teammates Athing Mu and Allyson Felix, also secured a gold medal in the 4x400m Relay. In this race, Felix won her eleventh medal, making her the most decorated American Track and Field athlete ever.

The Olympics as a whole was a huge success, even though it was held during a global pandemic. Alexandra Matthews ’22 summed up the strange circumstances: “[I enjoyed] seeing everyone come together---not only after nearly two years of being separated by the pandemic, but also as changed individuals in a revolutionized society. As demonstrated perhaps most resoundingly by Simone Biles’s message on the importance of mental health, the Olympics symbolized how we, as a human race, will emerge from this pandemic superior to our pre-pandemic state.” Thomas Pittard ’27 echoed Matthews’ quote, saying “[I loved] the way they managed to pull through despite the circumstances. The Olympics just showed how the world has managed Covid and, for the most part, come out on top.”

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2020 Tokyo Olympics Overview