Top 10 Tokyo 2021 Olympic Sportsmanship Moments

The Tokyo Olympics gave everyone a lift from this terrible pandemic which delayed the 2020 Olympics until 2021. There were many beautiful sportsmanship moments.  Tell us your favourite moment in the comments at the end. Meanwhile, here’s are our  Top 10 Sportsmanship Moments from the Tokyo Olympics (in reverse order).

 

10th Best Sportsmanship Moment:   Defeated Japanese Surfer Helps Brazilian Winner Translate at Press Conference

Kanoa Igarashi of Japan was disappointed to have lost gold when he lost to Brazilian Italo Ferreira in their sport’s Olympic debut….. on the beach he learned to surf.  Despite also being taunted online by racist Brazilian trolls, Igarashi’s showed great dignity and kindness by helping Ferreira during a press conference by translating a question into Portuguese (Brazil’s language). The crowd giggled hearing the cross-rival translation and an official thanked the silver medallist for the assist. Brazil’s Ferreira also said: “Yes, thank you, Kanoa,” said a beaming Ferreira, who is learning English. Magical moment.

 

9th Best Sportsmanship Moment:  American Swimmers Share Joy with Their South African Victor
Back in 2016, 19 year old South African Tatjana Schoenmakers missed out on the Rio Olympics by one-hundredth of a second in qualification.

She never gave up, qualified for Tokyo 2021 and went on to win the 200m breaststroke final.

She also broke the world record. When the scores went up on the screen she screamed with joy and was immediately hugged and congratulated by her smiling American competitors, Lilly King and Annie Lazor.

Thanks to Spread Love Movement.

 

8th Best Sportsmanship Moment: Indian Weightlifter Never Forgets Local Truck-Drivers

When weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu made her debut in the 49kg category and went on to win a silver medal, she became the first Indian to clinch a medal for the country on the first day of the Olympics.

When she returned home she hosted, and gave gifts, to over 150 truck drivers who gave her free rides to the training centre which was 15 miles from her home in Nongpok Kakching village. The Olympian who won India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics ‘never forgets a favour.’

Thanks to the Good News Movement 

 

7th Best Sportsmanship Moment:   15 Year Old Japanese Skateboarder’s Tears Turn To Joy When Lifted by Competitors 

Having won gold at the world skateboarding championship in 2019, Japan’s Okamoto Misugu was expected to do well in skateboarding’s first appearance as an Olympic Sport in Tokyo 2021. The 15 year-old fell during her final round and missed out on a medal. She climbed out of the park and straight into the arms of her friends and competitors who immediately raised her onto their shoulders to celebrate her effort. Her disappointment soon turned into a beaming smile

 

6th Best Sportsmanship Moment:  American Gymnast Braves Mental Health Media Stigma

American, Simone Biles was admired globally at the last Olympics as she won gold after gold after gold in Rio 2016. 5 years on in Tokyo, she’s admired again, this time however, not for her brilliance in gymnastics but for her bravery with mental health issues. Simone was struggling with her mental health. So, she eventually withdrew from the team competition.  Despite heavy media criticism she still appeared at the side-lines cheering on each of her teammates in every event. The pressure these athletes are under is immense, and in a strange way, team events add more pressure as you can’t let your teammates down with a poor performance. It took courage to make that difficult decision, to withdraw and do it despite media criticism.

Thanks to Designer Grace Bates and Design Applause

 

5th Best Sportsmanship Moment:  American and Botswanian Trip & Help Each Other Up & Finish Side-By-Side
Isaiah Jewett and Botswanas Nijel Amos, the long distance runners were both aiming for top 3 finish in the Men’s 800m semi-final. Amos clipped Jewett’s heel accidently and both crashed to the ground. Devastation hit both men as they paused for a moment, then the runners helped each other back up, walked with arms around each others shoulders and finished the race side by side. Despite their huge disappointment, they delivered a unique Olympian moment of unity.

Thanks to NEWS4 TODAY

 

4th  Best Sportsmanship Moment:    Italian and Qatari High Jumpers Deliver Message To Young Generation
Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim had tied at the top. The bar was raised again to the Olympic-record height of 2.39 meters. Each missed three times. They could have gone to a jump-off, but instead they both decided to share the gold.

Tamberi slapped Barshim’s hand and jumped into his arms. “I know for a fact that for the performance I did, I deserve that gold. He did the same thing, so I know he deserved that gold,” Barshim said. “This is beyond sport. This is the message we deliver to the young generation.” Tamberi then said “Sharing with a friend is even more beautiful, it was just magical.”

 

3rd  Best Sportsmanship Moment:   Norwegian Triathalon Athlete Reminds Distraught Belgian That She (Belgian) Has The Olympic Spirit 100%

Belgian Claire Michel lay slumped and sobbing on the floor. She came in last (34^th), some 15 minutes behind the winner Flora Duffy of Bermuda in the 10k race which was the third and final event in the triathlon, which comprises swimming (1500m), cycling (40k), and long-distance running (10k) – a punishing sport indeed.

Michel was seemingly inconsolable until Norwegian Lotte Miller (who came 24^th), took a moment to remind Michel, what she had, in fact, just achieved. The Norwegian was impressed by Michel’s determination to finish. Fifty-four athletes started the race but 20 were either lapped or dropped out.

‘You’re a (expletive) fighter,’ Miller told Michel. ‘This is Olympic spirit, and you’ve got it 100%.’  

 

2nd  Best Sportsmanship Moment:   Jamaican Track and Field Athlete Hunts Down Japanese Volunteer

Hansle Parchment is a gentleman. He is also a Jamaican track and field athlete, competing in the 110 metres hurdles. And now, he is the reigning Olympic champion.  However, Parchment took the wrong bus before his race and found himself at the wrong end of Tokyo. He asked some of the Olympics VIP cars if they could get him to the other stadium urgently as he was going to miss his warm-up and possibly his race. They couldn’t help him as they were already scheduled. He had no money for a cab. Panic was setting in, when a young Japanese volunteer gave him her money to get a taxi. This is Hansle’s own story on his phone …sit back and enjoy every moment of it.

Hansle Parchment, Olympic Gold Medalist 110m Hurdles

 

And in 1st Place...the number one sportsmanship moment of the 2021 Olympics is…..

 

French Judo Gold Medalist Praises Slovenian Silver Medalist

The 63kg Judo Final produced a beautiful moment of sportsmanship between France’s Clarisse Agbegnenou and Slovenia’s Tina Trstenjak. In Rio 2016 Olympics  Agbegnenou was beaten in the final by Trstenjak.  In 2021 Agbegnenou beat Trstenjak in the final. In tears, moments after her victory, Agbegnenou fell into the arms of her opponent and then lifted Trstenjak into the air with joy.

Agbegnenou spoke about her opponent in the press conference:

 

‘Tina (Trstenjak) and I have known each other for a long time.

She’s an athlete, she’s very strong.

We have very strong ties, as well as,

because she is externally and internally a wonderful person,

and we have always thought what happens on the tatami, stays on the tatami.’

Respect and Friendship – two of the pillars of true Olympism.

 

 

 

 

If you liked this, you might like these other Olympic stories (particularly the ‘Smiling’ story).

Top 10 Sportsmanship Moments From Rio 2016

London 2012 Olympics – Anyone For Olympism?

How London 2012 Became ‘The Friendly Olympics’

Smiling Helps You Win In Sport and in Life

Young American Athlete Alerts Officials to Scoring Error and Misses The Cut

 

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Thanks also to Cian Smith and Emily Papaphotis.