- I'll always remember the Tokyo Olympics because
the women's gymnastics competition
was nothing like anyone expected it to be.
Simone Biles' withdrawing from a few events
sparked a widespread discussion
about the mental health of athletes,
and it opened the door for a dramatic all-around final,
with Sunisa Lee winning a surprise title,
and then a remarkable comeback for Biles
when she won the bronze medal on beam.
The entire week of competition seemed to capture
everything that makes this sport so difficult,
but also so special.
- It has definitely been a different Olympic experience
this time around, with COVID protocols and lack of fans,
but also with the addition of new sports.
The women's skateboarding park competition
was one of my favorite things to photograph this summer.
It was amazing to watch a group of mostly teenage girls
compete in what was once a male-dominated sport.
The wide smiles on their faces after each run,
even the ones that ended in falls, was uplifting.
And then watching them embrace each other in support like
they were all the best of friends just made you feel good.
And with all the pressure they face,
you could see that they were truly having fun
and enjoying the sport and each other.
And then having three teenagers on the podium at the end
was historic and amazing.
- One of the moments that will define
these Olympic Games for me
was watching Naomi Osaka play her first tennis match
in two months here after taking a mental-health break.
She had lit the Olympic caldron a couple of nights before,
but I don't think that I'll ever forget the sound of her
cracking a forehand in an empty stadium.
It made me really sad, because the people of Japan
couldn't be there to watch their champion,
their former world number one.
But it was also a really good reminder of her strength,
and it made made a little bit emotional
thinking about everything all the athletes
had been through to get to these games.
- My favorite moment of the Tokyo Olympics
was finishing the 14-day soft quarantine,
leaving the chaos and the swelter of Tokyo behind,
and riding a bullet train at 178 miles per hour
past Mount Fuji to the remote town of Izu
for some track cycling at the Velodrome.
It was a perfect blending of a road-trip adventure
and a really cool, undercover sport.