• Philippines wins its first ever Olympic gold
• Flora Duffy wins first ever Olympic gold for Bermuda
• Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka knocked out
• Japan wins baseball gold as USA and Canada get silver and bronze
• Belgium and Australian men maintain clean record in men’s hockey
• Mirabai Chanu wins first silver medal in weightlifting for India
• Indian shooters fail to make to the podium
• Japanese siblings create history by winning individual golds

The first four days of competitions of the 32nd Olympic. Games – Tokyo 2020 – have been full of excitement, throwing up many new winners while surprising a few established stars as the US supremacy in medals tally has come for initial challenges from both China and the hosts Japan.

For India, though the games started on a bright Silvery note with lifter Mirabai Chanu winning a silver medal, disappointments were galore in most of other sports and events, including archery, shooting and women’s hockey.

After a sober or subdued start with a simple but colorful opening ceremony on July 23, there have been excitement galore. The concept of mixed team events in some sports, including shooting, has finally been introduced.

Though it is for the first time that world’s top athletes are competing for glory of sport, there are no spectators in the stands. Traditional medal ceremonies are no longer the order of the day. Medals are only presented or champions themselves exchange medals at ceremonies.

Because of trying conditions created by the Corona pandemic, cultural events that are normally held as a part of the games are being avoided.

The US is continuing to dominate pool events. It won gold medals in 4×100 freestyle relay for men as well as 400 individual medleys for men. Lyda Jacoby (100m breaststroke) and Kathleen Ledecky (1500 m freestyle for women) were other gold medal winners from the pool.

Besides, Carissa Moore was all cheers when she won the Surfing gold to become the first American to win the event. The US shooters also deserve a word of praise for their fine showing so far. Besides winning skeet events, both for men (Vincent Hancock) and women (Amber English), the US also won the 10 m Air Rifle for men (William Shaner).

Interestingly, when the US beat Nigeria 81-72, it was its 50th win a row in basketball. Other gold medal winners for the US so far include woman fencer Kieffer Lee and Taekwondo star Anastasija Zolotic.

The USA is expected to dominate the medals tally as more and more water sport events are held before the start of the track and field competitions.

Neighboring Canada has a good start with two gold medals and three silver medals so far. The god medals for Canada have come in swimming (100 m butterfly – Margaret Michel) and weightlifting 64 kg (Maude Charron).

Two of three silvers have come from the pool – 100 breaststroke (Kylie Masse) and 4×100 m freestyle relay while the third came from synchronized springboard diving.

Indian hopes of a medal in hockey were revived after the third round of round robin league matches. India defeated Spain 3-0 for its second win in three games. Earlier, India had suffered a humiliating 1-7 defeat at the hands of Australia. In the women’s section, India is yet to lodge its first point after losing all three pool matches. The last was today against the defending champions Great Britain that Indian women lost 1-4.

Canada was also winless in men’s hockey after the first three rounds.

Belgium and Australia men   are at the top of their respective pool tables with an all-win record so far.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain joined her more fancied Olympic seniors – PV Sindu and Mary Kom – in the hunt for more medals after Mirabai Chanu gave a silvery start. She boxed her way to the quarterfinals and is just a win away from an Olympic medal. She won her first bout with a split points decision over Nadine Apetz of Germany on Tuesday.

Young Lovlina fought gamely against her more experienced German opponent and became the second Indian boxer after veteran Mary Kom to clear the preliminary round.

Old man of table tennis Sharat Kamal Achanta lost his third-round battle to Ma Lang of China 1-4 to mark end of Indian challenge in the sport. Ma Long won 11-7, 8-11,13-11, 11-4 and 11-4.

In badminton, Indian pair failed to make the last eight rounds even after winning its second group match. Rankireddy and Shetty Chirag beat Ben Lane and Sam Wendy of Great Britain 21-17, 21-19. They, however, could not advance to the last eight as they had a technical disadvantage of number of games won.  India had a plus of one game against 3 and 2 differences of Indonesia and Taipei.

Though the start of mixed team events had raised hopes of an Indian medal in shooting, yet it was the same old story. None of three Indian pairs on view on the first day of mixed competitions – Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary in 10 m Air Pistol, Anjum Moudgil and Deepak Kumar and Elvanil Valarivaa and Divyansh Singh Panwar in 10 m Air Rifle – could qualify for the finals. Earlier, even in individual events, all shooters failed to get to the podium.

Incidentally, these are women athletes who are continuing to win laurels from where they left in Rio. The last three Olympic medals have come through women athletes. Sakshi Malik (wrestling) and PV Sindhu (badminton) won India’s bronze and silver medals, respectively, in Rio and this time lifter Mirabai Chanu has got a silver.

Besides boxer Lovlina, two other women athletes – PV Sindhu and veteran Mary Kom – are still very much in the race for a medal in Tokyo 2020. Then there is wrestler Vinesh Phogat also. Her bouts are yet to commence.

PV Sindhu cleared her last group match defeating NY Cheung of Hong Kong to move to the quarterfinals.

 

Review of Tokyo Olympic Games so far

Surprises galore; history made

 Japanese siblings create Olympic history

Abe Hifumi and Uta became the first Japanese siblings, who won simultaneously at the World Championships in Baku 2018, have done it again, this time in the 32nd Olympic games in Tokyo 2020.  They may have wondered after their Baku feat whether they could repeat the feat at Tokyo 2020 or no. They did it. On the second day of Tokyo 2020 the impossible happened, with Hifumi and Uta becoming the first siblings in Olympic history to both strike gold on the same day in an individual sport.

Uta’s gold came first after she won the final of the women’s -52kg competition. Minutes later, her brother Hifumi did the same in the -60kg. “The road to get here, parts of it seemed long and others short,” said Hifumi after his historic win. “I managed to get to where I am standing today because of the support of so many people. Gratitude – that is what I’m feeling”, reacted Uta after her final. Hifumi was also full of joy to have won Gold on the same day. “This has turned out to be the greatest day ever. I don’t think we, as brother and sister, couldn’t shine any brighter on this stage known as the Tokyo Olympics. So happy”, he said.

Coach INOUE Kosei recognized the amazing family achievement after the brother-sister act pulled off their gold-medal performances in quick succession. “Together, he and she have written their own chapter in history,” he said. “I think we’re witnessing the birth of two new stars in judo right before our own eyes. I’m counting on them to lead the way for all of judo and I expect a lot from.”

Tokyo 2020 : US Medalists till July 27, 2021

Gold Medalists:

Lee Kiefer, fencing, women’s foil individual

William Shaner, shooting, 10m air rifle men

Vincent Hancock, shooting, skeet men

Amber English, shooting, skeet women

Carissa Moore, surfing, women

United States, swimming, men’s 4x100m freestyle relay

Chase Kalisz, swimming, men’s 400m individual medley

Lydia Jacoby, swimming, women’s 100m breaststroke

Anastasija Zolotic, taekwondo, women’s -57kg

Silver Medalists:

United States, diving, women’s synchronized 10m platform

Jay Litherland, swimming, men’s 400m individual medley

Kathleen Ledecky, swimming, women’s 400m freestyle

Emma Weyant, swimming, women’s 400m individual medley

United States, artistic gymnastics, women’s team

United States, softball

United States, equestrian, dressage team

United States, shooting, 10m air rifle mixed team

Bronze Medalists:

Jagger Eaton, skateboarding, men’s street

Ryan Murphy, swimming, men’s 100m backstroke

Kieran Smith, swimming, men’s 400m freestyle

Regan Smith, swimming, women’s 100m backstroke

Lilly King, swimming, women’s 100m breaststroke

United States, swimming, women’s 4×100, freestyle relay

Hali Flickinger, swimming, women’s 400m individual medley

Katie Zaferes, triathlon, women’s individual

Canadian Medalists

Gold Medalists:

Margaret Michel, 110 m butterfly for women

Maude Charron, 64 kg weightlifting for women

Silver Medalists:

4X100 n freestyle relay

3 M synchronized springboard diving for women

Kylie Masse, 100 m breaststroke, women

Indian Medalists

Mirabai Chanu, weightlifting

Before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games started, 71 of 206 member nations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were still without their first gold medal.

Tokyo has helped two of these nations – Philippines and Bermuda – to erase this gold less identity. Philippines won gold in 55 kg weightlifting for women where Hidilyn Diaz earned the honors of becoming the first Filipino to wear a gold medal.

For Bermuda, it was turn of Triathlon star Flora Duffy to win the honors.

 

(The author is a senior sports journalist. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)