The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 concluded yesterday with the United States earning a whopping 113 medals, 39 gold, across 626 athletes. Read below as we recap each day of the event and revisit some of the most memorable athletic achievements of this Olympics.

Rows of empty seats welcomed athletes across the globe as they marched in the opening ceremony, their families unable to attend in-person as COVID-19 ravages everywhere. The show set out to bring a “sense of hope for the future,” and conveys how “we all have the ability to celebrate differences, to empathize, and to live side by side with compassion for one another,” reads the Olympics website.

Track

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Winning her eleventh Olympic medal, Allyson Felix has become the most decorated American athlete in track and field, breaking Carl Lewis’ record of ten in 1996. In this Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 4X400 meter relay and a bronze medal in the 400 meters. 

Felix told USA Today that she “intends to retire before the next Summer Games, in Paris in 2024.” 

Gymnastics

Legend Simon Biles sent shockwaves around the world as she decided to withdraw from the team final, sparking mixed reactions across America. Instead, she became an incredible team supporter as they ultimately took the silver medal. 

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

She drew countless criticisms from spectators as she told reporters she would be continuing to be “evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate” in her individual events. As the world soon saw, she returned to the balance beam to take bronze in the final. 

Basketball

Both women’s and men’s basketball brought home the gold from Tokyo. Kevin Durant became the highest-scoring American man in all of Olympic history, leading the men’s team to victory. 

Undefeated from the beginning, the women’s team defeated Japan in the finals. Their gold became the seventh consecutive women’s basketball gold medal. The first basketball players to win five gold medals, power duo Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, dominated the court. 

 (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Swimming

Setting two world records and two Olympic records, Caleb Dressel put on a show in the water during a historic Olympic games. Overall, Dressel won five gold medals, sitting him right up there with Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz as the third American male swimmer to win three individual gold medals during a single Summer Games. 

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Katie Ledecky continued her push for gold this year, leaving with four Olympic medals, two gold, and two silver. Now, she eyes Paris for the 2024 Olympics as she brings her grand medal total to ten. 

Golf

Team USA won with a clean sweep at Tokyo this Olympics, winning gold in both the women’s individual and men’s individual. Overall, the team sent four players to the Olympics. Nelly Korda took home the gold medal in the 60-women field as two of her teammates placed in the top 20. Just six weeks prior, she claimed her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championships. 

(AP Photo/Matt York)

The closing ceremony echoed the triumphs of athletes while reminding the world that all must come together. Featuring a sci-fi feel, the ceremony consisted of a Zoom-style screen of videos sent in by spectators cheering on athletes from home. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics had no shortage of incredible, humbling, and dominating moments. 

The next Winter Olympic Games is set to happen in Beijing in just over six months. As athletes prepare once more, the world awaits how COVID-19 will affect the next Olympics.

_____

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected].