5 Highs and 5 Lows of Tokyo 2020 Olympics

After being postponed in 2020, the Tokyo Olympics finally returned in 2021, keeping its previous year namesake. As with any Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics games saw their fair share of highs and lows. With that in mind, it's time to take a look back on the emotional roller coaster that was the Tokyo 2020 games. Throughout this article, we will take you down before bringing you back up with some monumental moments.

Low Tides

Falls for Days

For our first low, we will start as low as you can get. The 800 to 10,000m races were plagued by a myriad of falls, as the athletes attempted to control the race pace in the intense heat. Unfortunately, for the majority of the fallen athletes, their dreams of a race win were stolen. However, this wasn't the case for Sifan Hassan, who incredibly bounced back and won her race.

The Painful Departure of Yohann Diniz

Although all eyes were on Evan Dunfee, it was hard for fans to miss Yohann Diniz during the 50K walking race. Unfortunately for Diniz, who holds the record for the event, he began having clear stomach troubles early on in the game. Despite trying to power on through, the painful troubles became too much, and he had to withdraw. Hopefully, Diniz can make a comeback in the next round of events.

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Covid-19 Hits

Unfortunately, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics almost didn't happen for a second time around, after reports started flocking that Covid-19 was sweeping the Olympic Village. This scare had fans and critics on the edge of their seats, as the total tally of cases began to slowly rise. However, with a stroke of luck, athletes and their staff managed to stay safe throughout the duration.

Hopefully, we won't see the same situation play out at the Winter Olympics, which returns to Beijing in 2022. If for some reason, you missed out on the Tokyo Olympics, you can follow the fixtures on the Latest News pages over at onlinecasinos.co.uk, where you can also find reputable sites to place a few bets if you so wish.

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A Drink Station Catastrophe

Video clips do the rounds, and social media is known for spreading "news" like wildfire, which is what happened following the men's marathon. The video in question showed what appeared to be Morhad Amdouni deliberately knocking over around 10 water bottles before grabbing his drink. Whether he did this on purpose will remain a mystery, but the man himself denies doing it on purpose. However, this event doesn't stop people from wanting him to be disqualified.

Staggering DNF Figures Hit Sapporo

Every year, some people don't finish the marathon. However, when the marathons took place this year in Sapporo, there were a staggering number of DNFs. The hot conditions saw 15 athletes drop out of the women's marathon and 30 from the men's. Unfortunately for Ethiopia, their entire team dropped, which put them out of the running.

High Tides

Rookie Takes to the Podium

As promised, we will pick you back up now, and we start our upwards journey with rookie Molly Seidel taking the podium. When American runner Seidel raced against veteran athletes, no one expected that she would steal the third position. However, against all odds, she managed to bag a medal in the second marathon of her career. This just goes to show that you don't always need experience to do well.

Evan Dunfee's Last-Minute Push

Despite Diniz's departure from the race, eyes were turned to Evan Dunfee and his incredible last-minute push. Almost all through the race, Dunfee sat at 5th position, and it seemed as though he was going to stay there. However, within the last kilometre and after walking in sweltering heat for 49km, he struck back and passed two fellow athletes. This final push managed to secure him a bronze medal, which makes him the first Canadian medal-holding athlete since 1992.

Hassan Strikes Back

We already noted that Sifan Hassan managed to win her race after falling, but we're putting it in again as it's purely phenomenal. In the intense heat, Hassan was attempting to complete the triple, which includes the 1,500m, 5,000m, and the 10,000m stretch. However, during the first leg of the race, Hassan fell, and it appeared as though she was out of the running before she took off. Then, in a show of pure strength, she brushed herself off and went on to win that leg of the race. Although she secured bronze by the end of the final leg, it's an achievement that's worth mentioning.

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Records Mount Up in the Hurdles

If you're not an athletic being, the hurdles spell a length of falling over repeatedly while running down the track. However, between eight men within the 400m hurdle race at Sportz Point takes you through all the lows and highs of the grandest sporting event of all time, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, an incredible six national records were broken, two area records, and all of that alongside an impressive world record. The world record in question was broken by Karsten Warholm, who managed to break his record. Incredibly, Alison Dos Santos and Rai Benjamin were only a fraction of a second away from beating Warholm's record.

Canada Strikes Gold

After a three-decade medal drought, the Canadians took home an impressive number at Tokyo 2020. In total, team Canada managed to win six medals. At the top of the medal pile, Andre De Grasse stands tall after taking the gold spot in the 200m. Alongside Grasse, Damian Warner managed to come in first during the decathlon. After this success, let's see if their momentum can carry them forward to win even more medals in the next games.

We promised you emotional turmoil, and we certainly delivered. 2021 has been a monumental year in the sporting world, with action resuming across the board. Now, in the world of the Olympics, the star-studded teams from around the world have four years to prepare. However, until then, we turn our attention to the Winter Olympics, which is making an exciting return to Beijing. Hopefully, the global pandemic that dampened 2020 doesn't keep sport away for another year running.