The Olympians are going above and beyond just displaying good sportsmanship values. They are leaving the world in awe which is so desperately needed as we continue to heal from the impacts of the pandemic.
The pandemic continues to have a negative impact on mental wellness for the entire world, so we have needed to see and feel inspiration and humility. Olympians did not disappoint.
Kindness shows we are all in this together.
The Olympians are providing a great example of how we can live our lives without fear and hate. Their actions show us that we should be respectful to ourselves and each other.
Men’s High Jumpers Shared Gold.
Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy and Mutaz Barshim from Qatar left the world needing tissues after deciding to share the gold medal. The two high jumpers cleared a 2.37-meter jump.
It’s was a plot twist for spectators because usually, in the event of tied scores, jumpers have a jump-off. Barshim asked Olympic officials without even thinking of any other option if he and Gianmarco could share the gold, to which officials said yes.
“I look at him, he looks at me, and we know it. This is a dream come true. It is the true spirit, the sportsman spirit.” Barshim said during an interview with CBC.
The two started as rivals and, over the years, formed a friendship with Gianmarco, even being in attendance at Barshim’s wedding in 2018.
Siblings win gold for the first time on the same day.
Siblings Uta Abe and Hifumi Abe made history as the first pair of siblings ever to have won gold medals on the same day.
It was certainly a proud moment for the host nation Japan and the Abe family.
Uta crushed her competition in the women’s 52-kilogram Judo event while her brother defeated Georgia’s Vazha Margvelashvili in the men’s 66-kilogram Judo event.
Runners cross the finish line together after crashing on the track.
Isaiah Jewett with Team USA was set to finish in a good spot in the men’s 800-meter.
During the race, Nigel Amos from Botswana fell in front of Isaiah, which caused him to tumble over Nigel. Nigel was devastated, but his competitor offered a helping hand and the pair linked arms and crossed the finish line together.
“He apologized, and I was like, ‘Let’s just finish the race,'” Jewett told the Los Angeles Times.
Swimmer hands his gold medal to the teammate he replaced in the finals.
Team USA took home the gold in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay, and Caeleb Dressel immediately strolled over to the stands and tossed his medal to teammate Brooks Curry.
Brooks played a part in getting the team to the finals when he swam in the prelims. Caeleb was brought in for the finals replacing Brooks.
The gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles was the first to congratulate a rival team captain.
Simone Biles pulled out of the women’s gymnastics team over mental health concerns, which caused a stir around the world. Even with mental health struggles, Biles continued to support her teammates and other Olympians from the sidelines.
Team USA lost to the Russian Olympic Committee, and Biles was the first to go over and congratulate ROC team captain Angelina Melnikova on their win.
Embed from Getty Images
It was such an emotional moment as Angelina had tears streaming down her face during the warm embrace.
Badminton champion exchanged shirts with rival Olympian that defeated him.
Chinese star Chen Long was the reigning badminton champion and was motivated to win gold back-to-back. Viktor Axelsen from Denmark was going to put a roadblock in those plans.
Axelsen defeated Chen in the men’s singles badminton final.
The two men congratulated each other, and Axelsen asked if they could exchange shirts. Chen didn’t think twice about the request.
Axelsen said, “I respect Chen Long a lot. He came over to my side of the court and told me I deserved it and that my performance here has been great. I asked him if we could exchange shirts, and we did.”
Two 13-year-old skateboarding competitors celebrated with more than just a hug after becoming the youngest medalists in their countries.
The battle for gold in the women’s skateboarding event was tough.
Momiji Nishia from team Japan defeated Rayssa Leal from team Brazil to win the gold in women’s street skateboarding. Leal took home silver. The impressive kids didn’t stop short of congratulating each other. They did a fist-bump, high-five and hugged it out.
Marjorie Gestring holds the record for the youngest gold medalist in history. She was 13 years and 268 days during the 1936 Berlin Games, where she destroyed the women’s diving competition.
It is so moving to see how comforting, caring, and empathetic Olympians have been during what is probably one of the more unique Olympics we’ve ever had.
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