Highlight Recap of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The past year and a half may have been nothing short of an overly turbulent time, with the initial 2020 Olympics postponed until 2021. But finally - with adherence to strict COVID-19 guidelines of course - athletes from all over the world were able to compete on the largest stage and showcase all of their hard work and talent. From 12 year-olds to 57 year-olds, we have seen a lot these past few weeks.

In skateboarding, at just 13 years-old, Sky Brown of Great Britain wins her first bronze medal in the finals of women's park. In swimming, the world witnessed yet another gold medal won in the 800m freestyle by Katie Ledecky of the United States. Besides this, Caeleb Dressel of the U.S. really brought home some hardware with five gold medals across various swim events as well. In gymnastics, we saw Sunisa Lee of the U.S. win her first gold medal in the women's all-around event, and Guan Chenchen of China winning gold in the women's balance beam final, beating out Simone Biles of the U.S. She and Simone shared a moment of respect for each other as 16 year-old Guan sees Simone as a role model in the sport. On the topic of China, we have also seen an absolutely stunning performance by 14 year-old Quan Hongchan in women's diving. Receiving multiple "10s" on the 10-meter platform event, Quan is deemed perfect at such a young age! The Olympic Games this year has debuted many young and inspiring athletes with still a long way to go - and no one is complaining. Besides these young athletes though, we have also seen Oksana Chusovitina, a gymnastics competitor for Uzbekistan, compete in her record-breaking 8th and last Olympiad at the age of 46. In track and field, Sydney McLaughlin of the U.S. shows the world what she is made of as she wins gold in the women's 400m hurdles, with Dalilah Muhammad of the same team coming in a close second. In weightlifting, China's Li Wenwen brings home an impressive gold in the women's +87kg event, with Emily Campbell of Great Britain placing 2nd. In the women's 3000m steeplechase, Peruth Chemutai of Uganda won a stirring gold, finishing around 3 seconds before U.S.'s Courtney Frerichs. Japan's Akira Sone also won gold in the women's +78kg judo final, with runner-up Idalys Ortiz of Cuba behind her.

Overall, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has garnered much attention, with a combination of celebrations, tears, sweat, and laughs from all over. It has also been truly remarkable to have countries around the globe stand in unity during a time of appreciation and respect for sports, as our world has not been the most peaceful these past few years. But when it comes to the Olympics, politics should stay out, and true sportsmanship should fill up the room. The final standings unveil the USA coming in first with most gold medals (39), China right behind them at a lofty 38 gold, and Japan following with 27. As we as a society moves forward, let's all continue to solely respect and admire the level of dedication in our athletes and coaches. Looking forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 - I hope to see you there.