Claire Thomson
Following a very successful first week for Team GB, spirits were high moving into week two of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Here’s a roundup of the highs and heartbreaks.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Once again, Team GB are proving that we are stronger when we support each other.
There was no “foaling” around for Great Britain as they began their second full week of medal hunting with Olympic gold in the team eventing, after outstanding performances in all three aspects of the competition. The team of Tom McEwen, Laura Collett and Oliver Townend were in gold medal position following the dressage and cross-country events on Sunday 1 August, before securing the title on Monday after the jumping event.
“They annihilated the rest of the field, proving that alone you can go fast, but together you can go far.”
Week one’s ‘Terrific Tuesday’ was repeated this week. The power couple of Jason and Laura Kenny took to the track in men’s team sprint finals and women’s team pursuit final. Pipped at the post, Great Britain’s women’s team of Laura Kenny, Katie Archibald, Neah Evans and Jessie Knight, and men’s team of Jason Kenny, Jack Carlin and Ryan Owens both won silver in their respective events, adding to Team GB’s ever-growing medal total.
Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald then followed later in the week with an amazing gold in the women’s Madison, the first time ever that this event was in the Olympic Games for women. Their plan was well thought out and executed with perfection as they annihilated the rest of the field, proving that alone you can go fast, but together you can go far.
More team success came in the men and women’s 4×100 relay. The women’s team of Asha Philip, Imani Lansiquot, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita kicked off the medals with a bronze. Soon after, Team GB’s men’s team of CJ Ujah, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake continued the success by storming to silver after narrowly being beaten by the Italian team, who are having the summer of their lives!
There was more success in the water in Week 2 as British sailors reeled in five medals. Including three gold, a silver and a bronze. The pairings of Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre, and Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell, sailed to victory with golds in the women’s 470 and men’s 49er class, respectively. Whilst Giles Scott took a victory in the men’s Finn.
Young but mighty
Day 12 of the Olympics saw skateboarder Sky Brown become Great Britain’s youngest ever Olympic medallist at just 13-years-old. Having fallen in her first two runs, Brown was sitting in fourth position going into her final attempt. Proving that age is just a number and not giving up, her final display of some impressive spins and flip indies secured her the third spot on the podium and her name in the history books. If Sky Brown has taught us anything, it is: you are never too young or too old to chase a dream.
Onwards and upwards
Frustration in the Tokyo 2020 marathon swimming event has increased the drive for success at the next Olympic Games in Paris in three years time. Making history the second she dived in the water, Alice Dearing became the first black swimmer to represent Team GB at an Olympic Games. High water temperatures, a technical course and an early start meant that it wasn’t meant to be for Dearing. However, she has her eyes set on achievements in the future. The following day saw fellow Brit, Hector Pardoe, compete in the same event.
It was the brutality of the sport that ended Pardoe’s hunt for a medal. He was forced to abandon around eight kilometres in, after taking an elbow to the eye and losing vision. In his post-race interview, he stated that his motivation to challenge for medals in Paris was high and he wasn’t going to view this misfortune as a setback.
Heartbreak also came in the athletics as injury forced Katarina Johnson-Thompson to withdraw from the women’s heptathlon after collapsing on the track during the 200 metres. Meanwhile, British sprinters Adam Gemili and Dina Asher-Smith also failed to make finals after suffering from hamstring injuries.
As the postponed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo came to a close on 8 August, now is the perfect time to reflect on the performances of each individual athlete who represented our country on an international stage and did us proud. There were records broken, medals galore and national pride. Team GB finished fourth overall in the medal table, behind the United States, China and Japan, with a total of 65 medals. Equalling the medal haul of London 2012 and only two shy of that in Rio 2016, the 373 strong team walked away with 22 gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze.
Featured image courtesy of Sam Balye via Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Claire Thomson
Aspiring Sports Journalist and Modern Languages Student (French/German) at University of Glasgow