Each Olympics
brings the promise of something fresh and different,
from first-timers making grand debuts,
to old favorites writing new pages in the record books.
The Tokyo Olympics gave us all kinds of exciting firsts.
Let's take a look back at some of the performances
that changed the game.
READY?
JAPANESE OST
LOOKING BACK / MOVING FORWARD
FIRST MEDALS
The first-ever Olympic surf event meant we were sure
to witness a historic first gold medal.
That honor went to Brazil's Ítalo Ferreira,
who wouldn't let a broken board
get in the way of his barrier-breaking victory.
Wow!
But the firsts didn't end with the last wave.
Olympic street skateboarding gold
didn't just start in Tokyo, it stayed there,
with hometown hero Yuto Horigome snagging the top spot
in his exciting introduction to the sport.
Nothing like defending your own turf to give you
that patriotic feeling.
But don't close that record book yet.
Japan continued to rule the streets on the women's side,
thanks to Nishiya Momiji's gold medal performance
in the first-ever women's skate competition.
Did I mention she's only 13?
The future of skating looks bright for Japan.
Frankly, a little scary for everyone else.
Next up, you've seen him on the podium before,
but this marked the year that Tom Daley,
along with his partner, Matty Lee,
finally won his elusive gold medal
in the men's 10-meter platform synchronized dive.
Persistence pays,
and Tom's got the precious medal to prove it.
Next, they say gains happen gradually,
but try telling that to Norway's Karsten Warholm.
There was nothing subtle about the 25-year-old's
first Olympic showing.
He exploded onto the scene
with a 400-meter hurdle time of 45.94 seconds,
netting him both a shiny gold medal and a new world record.
Patience? Please!
But the records weren't done falling yet.
The day after Karsten's all-time run,
USA's Sydney McLaughlin
set a new mark in the women's 400 meter hurdles.
Her track-scorching time of 51.46 seconds earned Sydney
the first of two Tokyo golds.
FIRST TIME MEDALS FOR THEIR COUNTRIES
So, let's give a well-deserved shout out to Rebeca Andrade.
With a gold showing on the vault and silver in the women's
all-around event,
she didn't just make a name for herself,
she landed her native Brazil
its first-ever Olympic medals in women's gymnastics.
And while we're talking national heroes,
we've got to talk about power lifter Hidilyn Diaz.
Prior to Tokyo,
her native Philippines had never won gold
in any Olympic event.
But then came along Diaz,
putting the Philippines on her back
and 224 kilograms of pure iron into the air.
By the time the weight came down, she and her home country
were forever wreathed in Olympic gold.
Not to be out done by their island nation counterparts,
Bermuda earned its first gold medal this year,
thanks to the indomitable will of triathlete Flora Duffy.
Duffy might have had fewer training resources
than most of the competition,
but brought top honors to her country anyway.
Who needs a coach when you've got that kind of drive?
Next up in the first category,
Qatar's Fares El-Bakh, who absolutely
crushed the men's 96 kilogram weightlifting event.
His combined score of 402 was a new Olympic record.
Not a bad way to bring your homeland its first-ever gold.
And now, onto the pitch.
They're no strangers to rugby in Fiji,
but coming into the year,
the Fijian women's team had never medaled
in an Olympic event.
That all changed in Tokyo,
when they beat the UK to win bronze
and become the first female Fijian medalists.
Try saying that one five times fast.
The Olympic Games may be an old tradition,
but with so many exciting athletes in the mix,
new legends are being made all the time.
What are some of your favorite Tokyo moments?
And what are they driving you to do next?
Tune in next time.
LOOKING BACK / MOVING FORWARD
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