It has been such an exciting first
week in Tokyo for the 2020 games.
Here to share all of the biggest
highlights so far isn't level alive.
Zone Cheryl Preheim and I gotta brag on.
Share a little bit.
You know I remember oh the way back in
2019 you started working on these stories.
Yeah, for the 2020 twenty games.
And so I mean,
as Carol was saying earlier in the show,
a lot of these, especially local athletes.
I mean, it must feel like friends
to you and their families.
So it's been an incredible journey.
Watching their success so
many locals from Georgia.
What a ride and it's
true because we started in 2019.
It actually the blessing of it.
It gave us more time and we were able
to be connected through what was an
equally challenging time for everybody.
I mean that was a global experience.
So athletes around the world,
to all of us learning at
home and things like that.
So yeah, we get very connected.
So I get like Mom,
I'm very nervous when they race
and I get very excited and I'm
texting and I'm really you're
looking like this through your
hands like oh come on all right so.
First
and foremost, I got to know
about the current medal count.
How are we doing alright?
Let's take a look at it.
Team USA continues to lead
with 41 medals overall,
including 14 gold and UGA.
By the way, University of
Georgia has seven medals.
Overall, it's like its own country, right?
Making it more than Brazil,
Switzerland and the Czech
Republic incredible.
That is so awesome again,
just a outstanding showing from our
our Georgia athlete incredible awesome.
All right. So biggest moments
we've seen so far this week
we've talked about some of them.
Up to you, what really stands out,
you know? Honestly, Suni Lee was so terrific,
but I think what really stands out
is that we're having these games
right in the midst of this pandemic.
It may look a little different this year,
but I just got off a zoom
call with Daniel Hall.
He's a hammer thrower from Kennesaw
State University, grew up in Marietta
and he said the venues are beautiful.
The hospitality has been incredible.
The Olympic Village is spectacular
and he said, yes, we get tested.
There's a little more isolation,
but overall, he said it has
still been a pretty incredible.
Experience and this is something
he told me right before he left
from Tokyo that he's been working
towards for a very long time.
Yes, of course.
First
year I joined was 2012 so the Summer
Olympics were in London and I remember
sitting on one of my best friends
couches in my neighborhood with him
and his family were watching the
opening ceremonies from that point
and we're sitting on that couch.
She, like man, that would be so cool to be
there like I want to be there and you know,
Coach and I had always from a young
age always talked about high goals.
Now there's you know we need to
be high school national champion.
We need to be high school all American.
You know we have to win that
CC me this and that.
But the big picture is always the games
and so to finally be here it's it's
awesome it was.
Incredible to talk to him from Tokyo.
Just about an hour ago,
another local star who absolutely
rocked it last night was Kenny Selmon.
He grew up in Mableton,
GA Pace Academy, kid.
He just cruised right through
to the semi flat finals.
He's in the 400 meter hurdles there.
He is in Tokyo there with his USA shirt.
He crossed the finish looking strong.
I mean, he was hardly out of breath so
he advances to the semifinals and they
had an incredible watch party for him.
He is a fitness instructor at Berry.
Boot camp in Buckhead.
Just in his
spare time, professional athletes
look at that look at that look at
his friends or Barry's bootcamp.
They're all saying my teachers
and Olympian. That's awesome.
I love to see these parties all
right and there also have been a
few welcome changes to this year.
So tell me more about that.
There's some neat new
sports and they're really
geared to young people.
I, I think your girls might be excited.
My kids sure are.
We've got karate, sport climbing,
skateboarding, surfing which is so much fun.
To watch Team USA is Carissa Moore
made history by becoming the first
woman to win gold in surfing,
while 213 year olds, My Sons 13 cannot.
They stole the show in skateboarding,
taking the gold in women,
St Skateboarding,
Japans Momiji Nishiya made her
youngest gold medalist ever.
She was like magnetic medalist,
were incredible brazils.
Risa Leal brought home the
silver and you might recognize
from a series of viral videos.
She made when she was younger.
These they're standouts there.
13 there middle schoolers that's crazy.
That's crazy,
but of course, that's when you
know these kids take to the
skateboard at a young age.
But to think that they are, now,
you know Olympian medalists
incredible and these new sports are
really geared towards that
younger, younger population.
To get them excited about the games
all over the world. So that's
been really fun to see. Well, I,
I love setting the bar so high.
That's what these coaches as Daniel said.
That's what they want them to strive for.
Yes, absolutely.
Alright, big wins this week.
What else have we seen?
Team USA had a big win. Katie Ledecky.
Yeah, she's just a powerhouse.
She won the gold in the first ever
1500 meter freestyle in swimming.
Just for some perspective here,
that's 30 lengths of the pool.
I mean, you can go to the refrigerator,
get yourself a snack,
tuck your kids into bed,
and she's still swimming.
Lydia Jacoby, who is the first election?
Wow, I'm just saying I might have done that,
maybe not right.
The first Olympic swimmer from
Alaska took home the goal of that.
Gosh, seeing her family react with
so amazing and Costa Rica also.
Entered the Olympic arena for
gymnastics for the first time this year.
Luciana Alvarado,
who made headlines for
incorporating Black Lives,
Matter attributes into her performance.
Yes, and
Speaking of that, we should
have seen a lot of athletes
using their platform, you know,
to take a stance on certain issues.
What are some memorable notable moments?
Well, I think the
one that will keep talking about is
mental health with Simone Biles and
overnight she posted something on
Instagram that she has since pulled down.
But she posted video of herself
practicing and she was on the uneven bars.
And she would fall on her back
every time she tried to land.
And she said people don't understand
if my mind and body aren't In Sync.
It could be catastrophic.
I mean she could she could injure
herself beyond repair, right?
And so her decision is not that she
just doesn't feel like doing it.
If her mind and body aren't In Sync,
it's very dangerous.
And she, she posted that overnight.
Curious that she did take it down,
but I think it's been hard
understandably for her to see
the backlash from her decision.
But I think mental health.
Will be a conversation that
you'll hear a lot more of,
especially when we're talking
about very young.
Yeah,
elite athletes that
I totally agree. And by the way,
the backlash none of us have been in
her shoes has been in her shoes, right?
You know, I think we have to give her
all this love and support and it'll be
interesting to see as we go into week two.
Yeah, the decisions she makes
in the individual competition.
So thank you, Cheryl,
you've worked so so hard and
we just so appreciate you
coming on the show. Yeah, we do and you can
catch all the action.
Right here on 11 alive.