The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were marred by a number of controversies, winded down on Sunday with the United States taking home the most medals in addition to the most gold.
The closing ceremony, dubbed “Worlds We Share,” featured stunt bikes and light shows in front of the same empty stadium that athletes entered on July 23 ahead of the torch-lighting. The closing events featured a transition to Paris, the host of the 2024 Games, as volunteers were handed bouquets and the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra took to the stage.
The U.S. was the big winner throughout the contest as athletes mustered a total of 113 medals, including 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze, besting runner-up China, which garnered 88 medals in all, including 38 gold, 32 silver, and 18 bronze. Japan took the third spot with 58 medals and 27 gold, and Great Britain won 65 medals and 22 gold. Other notable finishers included the Russian Olympic Committee, Australia, and the Netherlands.
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Team USA’s performance was less than its 46 gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and London, though the country was handed several large victories. On Saturday, the U.S. men’s basketball team bested France to take home the gold, while U.S. men’s track and field took first place in the 4×400 relay.
The U.S. women’s track and field team did the same, taking home gold in the same event, marking its seventh consecutive Summer Games victory dating back to 1996. Earlier in the week, Allyson Felix became the most decorated track and field Olympian in U.S. history as she took home her 11th career medal, while the U.S. swept both the men’s and women’s basketball and golf finals.
Stringent coronavirus protocols marred the Games throughout its two-week run as many Japanese residents opposed the Olympics due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. When the events began, protesters were heard outside the stadium, and many considered the start to be subdued, bland, and boring. The avenue, which could have held approximately 68,000 spectators, was reduced to a few hundred high-priority fans, including first lady Jill Biden and a number of foreign dignitaries.
Numerous athletes were forced to withdraw following positive COVID-19 diagnoses as an outbreak ripped through the Olympic village, though controversies weren’t only relegated to the pandemic.
All-star gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the team finals on July 27, citing mental health concerns. She also vacated her spot in the individual all-around and uneven bars finals only to return to the balance beam competition on Tuesday. She brought home a bronze medal.
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“It’s been a very long week. It’s been a very long five years,” Biles said following the balance beam finals. “I didn’t expect a medal today. I just wanted to go out there and do this for me, and that’s exactly what I did.”
The announcement of her initial withdrawal sparked a larger conversation regarding mental health in athletes performing “dangerous” feats, as Biles described on Friday, adding that “physical health is mental health.”
