By: Marvin Azrak
Just like at the end of every professional sports season, there are awards aside from the champions given out to individuals or teams that played a big part in what made that campaign special, and the Tokyo Olympics are no exception. So yes, while an abundance of medal events (339 to be exact) took place over 18 riveting days, we narrowed it down to a few moments that stuck out to us as “Award-worthy”.
Here’s a look
MVT(USA): WOMENS BASKETBALL TEAM:
It’s one thing to expect perfection, but it’s an entirely different stage when that dream becomes a reality, which has been the case for USA basketball the last seven Olympics running. The Americans entered these Olympics winners of six straight golds, four by the legendary duo of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi , and 49 games overall. They began their quest for more history by going undefeated in group play with wins over Nigeria(81-72), Japan(86-69), and France(93-82) to reach the knockout stage. However, their were concerns surrounding this particular US squad because although they had swept Pool play, they hadn’t exactly tapped into their full potential as of yet, and their were fears it could come back to bite them in the medal round. But fear not, for the Americans trounced Australia 79-55(1-3) in the quarterfinals, before having their way against Serbia(3-2) 79-59, putting all doubts to rest ahead of the Gold Medal game against the host county Japan(4-1). The US entered the contest on a 55 game tear, and looking to bring home not only their seventh straight gold medal, but also a completed sweep of the Olympic basketball scene, with the USA also rising to the top of the podiums in both 3X3 basketball and men’s basketball.
But if that wasn’t enough, at the time the heroes took the court, their country trailed in the Gold Medal count 38-36 to China with just hours until the closing ceremonies, so every medal event was vital for the USA to see if they could outlast China for their third straight “Overall Gold” in Tokyo.
But although not having fans to uplift you in a pressure-packed game like this, but the USA fought through it, and blew the doors off of a feisty Japan team 90-75, for Gold medal #7, keeping the 56 game winning streak alive for at least three more years. This was also the fifth straight gold for Diana Tarausi and Sue Bird, with Bird riding off into the sunset with her latest triumph announcing her retirement in the postgame press conference. But if there’s anything we remember about this era of USA basketball, it’s that they have brought the word “Dynasty” to new heights, by controlling a worldwide league for 29 years, and counting.
MVT(INTERNATIONAL) JAPAN BASEBALL/SOFTBALL TEAMS:
Softball and Baseball returned to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, and the hosts didn’t disappoint, with Japan blanking the USA 2-0 in both the softball and baseball Gold Medal games, with the softball avenging a 2-1 loss to the USA in group play, and the baseball team capping off a picture-perfect campaign.
Both finales featured top pitching performances, and big-time home runs. For the softball squad, it was a defense of their ‘08 title, while the baseball team won their first ever Olympic Gold, as the top-ranked host country beat a U.S. squad filled with minor leaguers and free agents in the gold medal match on their home soil. Japan’s baseball starting pitcher, Masato Morishita(After Masahiro Tanaka was scratched just before the game) surrendered just three hits over five innings. He was followed by Kodai Senga, Hiromi Itoh, Suguru Iwazaki and Ryoji Kuribayashi, who completed the shutout. As for softball, 39-year-old Yukiko Ueno stunned the world with a complete game shutout of the previously undefeated Americans. The reason why this team wins the “MVT” internationally is because the way they identically silenced the potent USA bats when it counted the most.
MIC(MOST IMPROVED COUNTRY): AUSTRALIA:
The Aussies had a miserable 2016 performance, finishing 10th on the overall medal tally which was their lowest since the 1992 games. “Also, In their previous 28 appearances at the Olympics prior to Tokyo, Australia won a grand total of 147 gold medals”, per sportingnews.com), But they had the best gold-silver ratio of anyone in these games (17-10), capturing, 46 total medals for sixth on the overall medal count. This was due in large part to their nine golds in swimming, with Swimmers Emily Seebohm, Kaylee McKeown(3 Golds) Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon, Ariarne Titmus(Defeated American Katie Leadecky twice for Gold) and Izaac Stubblety-Cook all taking home golds for the Aussies. The nation also saw their country win silver in men’s field hockey, and gold in BMX and sailing. But perhaps, the biggest surprise was in men’s basketball, where Australia took home a Bronze medal, defeating Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Donic and Serbia 107-93 on the back of a 42 point performance from Brooklyn Nets star Patty Mills for the country’s first ever medal in basketball. The Aussies fell in that tournament to the eventual champions in the United States, so notching the Bronze was more than satisfactory for Aussie nation.
Overall, this was an Olympic performance that Australians won’t soon forget, as they showed the world who they truly are with their pride and passion throughout the games.
MIT:(MOST IMPROVED TEAM): USA WRESTLING: The Americans had their best performance of the games, finishing with nine medals, more than any other nation, and even netting three golds, keying the country’s overall Olympics three-peat.
OLYMPICS MVP: Caeleb Dressel (USA Swimmer)
Dressel notched five Gold Medals in these games which contributed to the 11 Golds USA swimming won as a whole in these Olympics and even set an individual world record in one of them. He won the 50M freestyle, 100M freestyle(47.02 seconds beating out the runner-up by 0.6 seconds) , 100M butterfly(49.45 seconds, beating the previous WR of 49.50 , 100M freestyle relay, 100M medaly relay(World record of 3.26.28 defeating old WR of 3.27.28) . He also took home the two relay golds in 2016 at the Rio Olympics too.
HESED AWARD:
We had a heartwarming moment at this year’s Olympics, and it’s one worth the read, because if you’re going to take anything away from this piece it’s this story right here.
Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar competed in the “High Jump”final, and were both determined to outdo each other.Both high jumpers were perfect until the bar was set to the Olympic-record height of 2.39m (seven feet, 10 inches). After both missed three times, the referee ruled the two would need to settle this in a “Jump-off”. Barshim responded with “How about Two Golds?”, the official said it would only happen if they agreed, which the two friends instantly did, before hugging each other, and running around the arena going wild. “For me, coming here, I know for a fact that for the performance I did, I deserve that gold,” Barshim said. “He did the same thing, so I know he deserved that gold. This is beyond sport. This is the message we deliver to the young generation.” It was truly sportsmanship at its finest. Both players needed to overcome potential career-ending injuries to get to this stage, and now wearable to celebrate reaching the top of the mountain together. For the 30-year-old Barshim it completes a full house of Olympic medals having taken bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio five years ago. As for Tamberi, it was his first Olympic medal at age 29, who couldn’t believe what was happening to him, sobbing uncontrollably in tears of joy. Truly a heartwarming moment sure to last beyond these Olympic games.
