The Tokyo Olympics is definitely a Games that we will never forget.
Despite constant speculation whether it would happen at all, it finally took place a year late.
Among many different aspects to it, there were no live crowds, mask wearing on podiums, the tightest of protocols for the athletes and the nagging fear that Covid could bring the whole thing down at any point. To say that it has been unusual is a massive understatement.
However, despite all of this, the Olympics once again proved why it is the most special sporting event on the earth.
I have been privileged to present every day of the Olympics on BBC Breakfast which has kept me close to every bit of the action; and the ‘strange’ parts of this Games are not what I will remember it for - it is actually the incredible stories that emerge from the athletes that took part. They genuinely inspire and give so many people so much joy.
The early Gold Medal for Tom Daley and Matty Lee in the diving helped set the Games alight for Team GB.
Daley’s journey to this Gold and the pictures of his tears of joy of the podium were incredible; but equally was the genuine bond and friendship on show between him and Lee.
Watching Beth Shriever and Kye Whyte not only win Team GB’s first ever BMX Olympic medals but also support each other like the very best of friends warmed the heart. The pictures of Whyte jumping over the fence to pick up Shriever after she won Gold will long live in our memories.
Sky Brown, Team GB’s skateboarder and youngest ever Olympic medallist, talked with a beaming smile and the purest joy and enthusiasm about her sport, which will have inspired millions; as will her ‘anything is possible’ attitude to want to do both the surfing and skateboarding at Paris 2024!
Listening to the twins, Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova, talk after winning a Bronze in the Women’s Team Gymnastics could only make you smile; and there was the emotional post fight chat between Team GB boxer, Galal Yafai, and his brother, Kal, live on TV.
The truth is that I could go on with many more examples.
And this is only the surface level. Underneath each of these amazing athletes is a network of family, friends and coaches, who are all incredible in their own right. They have supported for years and have all contributed to these great moments.
There have been some who have tried to claim that no one cared about these Olympics in the face of the global pandemic.
I think the Games has answered that emphatically. Not only do millions of people care about the Olympics but it also inspires generations.
Every Olympics provides a mountain of breathtaking moments and this was one was no different – despite the unusual backdrop that Covid gave it.
We can be enormously proud of Team GB and what they achieved in Tokyo. The medal haul was outstanding but the spirit in which the competed was even better.
Bring on Paris 2024!
