{"id":630128,"date":"2021-08-10T14:52:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T18:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=630128"},"modified":"2021-08-10T14:52:02","modified_gmt":"2021-08-10T18:52:02","slug":"tokyo-olympics-here-are-the-winnersand-the-losers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tokyo-olympics-here-are-the-winnersand-the-losers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tokyo Olympics: Here Are The Winners\u2026And The Losers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftokyo-olympics-here-are-the-winnersand-the-losers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=630128&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1234438373.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>Everything about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was unusual.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The lack of fans in the stands made the events boring and dry, athletes were forced to wear masks due to COVID protocols \u2014 taking away the audience\u2019s ability to see the joy of winning on their faces \u2014 and for some reason, NBC lacked any ability to simply put out a schedule of events that we could all understand.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I\u2019ve been watching the Olympics for decades, I cover sports for a living, and I even noticed that my enthusiasm was lower than it has been for past Olympic Games. The time difference certainly had an impact. Waking up at 3 a.m. CT to watch gymnastics saps the energy. However, if you watched with even one eye open, you were treated to some phenomenal athletic feats and a handful of inspiring stories.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As is the case with sports, there are always losers \u2014 even when the \u201closers\u201d of Olympic competitions are at the highest level of competition.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Let\u2019s take a look at the winners from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and those that maybe had a rougher go across the Pacific.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The Winners<\/b><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Caeleb Dressel&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The 24-year old swimmer exploded onto the scene in Tokyo, winning five gold medals and becoming just the third American swimmer to win three individual gold medals in a single Games. He set two world records on the journey, becoming the face of men\u2019s swimming in the process.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He won gold in the 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle, 4\u00d7100 freestyle relay, and 4\u00d7100 medley relay.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt is a different type of pressure [at the Olympics]. I\u2019m aware of that now and I\u2019ll stop lying to myself,\u201d Dressel <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/olympics\/2021\/08\/01\/caeleb-dressel-tokyo-olympics-historic-gold-medals-career\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cAn event that happens every four years, for a race that [lasts] 40-something seconds or 20-something seconds, you have to be so perfect in that moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWith an extra year, it\u2019s a five-year buildup\u2014or a 24-year buildup, whatever you want to call it\u2014there\u2019s so much pressure in the moment. Your whole life boils down to a moment that will take 20-40 seconds. How crazy is that? And it\u2019s every four years. I wouldn\u2019t tell myself that during the meet, but it\u2019s terrifying. A lot of it boils down to a very precise moment in the universe, and that just happens to be the Olympics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Suni Lee<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>When one star\u2019s light begins to dim, another star has an opportunity to shine. Women\u2019s gymnast Suni Lee is the next bright star in the sport.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>When Simone Biles pulled out of the women\u2019s team competition, it was up to Lee and the rest of the squad to pick up the slack. They did, managing to secure a silver medal even with the GOAT not participating in the competition.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lee\u2019s Olympics was nowhere near finished, with appearances in individual events still to come.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the women\u2019s all-around, Lee continued U.S. dominance in the event, becoming the fifth-straight <\/span><span>American woman to take home the gold in the event.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lee \u2014 just 18-years-old \u2014 was the first Hmong American to make the U.S. Olympic team, and has an incredible <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/american-success-story-who-is-all-around-gold-medal-gymnast-suni-lee\"><span>story<\/span><\/a><span> of perseverance in her run to gold.&nbsp; Lee also won bronze in the women\u2019s uneven bars.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Katie Ledecky<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The face of American swimming had serious competition in Tokyo, and while she wasn\u2019t perfect, she proved once again that her greatness is unmatched.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After losing to her rival \u2014 Ariarne Titmus of Australia \u2014 in the 200 and 400-meter freestyle, Ledecky bounced back with her third consecutive gold medal in the women\u2019s 800-meter freestyle. <\/span><span>Ledecky became the first swimmer to win gold in the event at three consecutive Olympics.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She leaves Tokyo having now won 10 Olympic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamusa.org\/usa-swimming\/athletes\/katie-ledecky\">medals<\/a>: seven golds and three silvers in her three Olympic appearances.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There were some that felt the Tokyo Olympics would be Ledecky\u2019s last, but she put those rumors to bed right after winning gold.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThat was not my last swim,\u201d Ledecky <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/07\/31\/katie-ledecky-says-shell-be-back-for-2024-olympics\/\"><span>told<\/span><\/a><span> NBC with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m at least going to \u201924, maybe \u201928. We\u2019ll see. You never take anything for granted. You don\u2019t know if you\u2019re gonna be back at the next Olympics, so you just try to soak it all in.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Allyson Felix<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>In her fifth Olympics \u2014 and first as a mother \u2014 Felix proved that age is nothing but a number.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 35-year-old became the most decorated female Olympic track and field athlete of all time in Tokyo. She won the bronze medal in the 400-meter, giving her 10 Olympic medals in her illustrious career. 24 hours later, Felix passed track and field legend Carl Lewis as the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete in history when she was part of the women\u2019s 4\u00d7400 relay gold-winning team.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tamyra Mensah-Stock<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Mensah-Stock became just the second American woman to win gold in Olympic women\u2019s wrestling while also becoming the first black woman to win the event. It was a massive accomplishment, but it was her reaction after winning that stole our hearts.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI surprised myself! It\u2019s by the grace of God I\u2019m able even to move my feet,\u201d Mensah-Stock said. \u201cI just leave it in his hands. And I pray that all the practice, the hell that my freaking coaches put me through, pays off. And every single time it does. And I get better and better. And it\u2019s so weird that there\u2019s no cap to the limit I can do. And I\u2019m excited to see what I have next.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>When asked by the reporter how it felt to represent her country, Mensah-Stock responded in a way that will warm every American\u2019s heart.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt feels amazing,\u201d said Mensah-Stock. \u201cI love representing the U.S. I freaking love living there. I love it. And I\u2019m so happy I get to represent USA!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"5.0909090909091\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI\u2019m so happy I get to represent USA!\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Y5CcjaPCbK\">pic.twitter.com\/Y5CcjaPCbK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theblaze\/status\/1422628933179166723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 3, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>The Losers<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>USWNT<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Megan Rapinoe and the women\u2019s national soccer team are thought of as the best team in the world. They\u2019re also the most \u201cwoke.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Maybe this is the wake-up call they needed to get back to focusing on the field instead of making statements.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After getting blown out by Sweden 3-0 in their first game of group play, the Americans failed to make it to the gold-medal round, losing to Canada 1-0 in the semifinals.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s terrible. We just didn\u2019t have it today,\u201d Rapinoe <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/united-states-usaw\/story\/4444397\/uswnts-megan-rapinoe-olympic-semifinal-loss-bitter-to-swallow\"><span>told<\/span><\/a><span> reporters after the game. \u201cJust too many errors from us again. I felt like the space was there for us to play and we just couldn\u2019t get into it, too many touches or, you know, an errant touch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThat\u2019s football. They got, I think, one shot on goal, a PK, and from what it sounds like it was a PK. So yeah, it\u2019s a bitter one to swallow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The disappointing Olympics came after the USWNT took a knee before their first game, citing solidarity with a statement against racism.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>U.S. Men\u2019s Track and Field&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>In what used to be a guaranteed medal, the men\u2019s team didn\u2019t even qualify for the final in the 4\u00d7100 meter relay race. For the fourth straight Olympics, the U.S. men\u2019s team failed to medal in the relay, placing six in qualifying.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The shocking performance drew the ire of Carl Lewis, who teed off on the lack of leadership and coaching.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s unacceptable. It\u2019s so disheartening to see this because it\u2019s people\u2019s lives,\u201d Lewis <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/track-and-field-legend-carl-lewis-rips-u-s-team-for-performance-in-mens-4x100-relay\"><span>told<\/span><\/a><span> USA TODAY Sports. \u201cWe\u2019re just playing games with people\u2019s lives. That\u2019s why I\u2019m so upset. It\u2019s totally avoidable. And America is sitting there rooting for the United States and then they have this clown show. I can\u2019t take it anymore. It\u2019s just unacceptable. It is not hard to do the relay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As a whole, the men\u2019s team won only one individual gold at the Tokyo Olympics \u2014 shot put.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Simone Biles<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>However you viewed the Biles saga \u2014 you either thought she quit or she was a hero for focusing on her mental health \u2014 she didn\u2019t win a single gold medal at the Olympics. Her performance was a massive disappointment considering many felt she had an opportunity to win five.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After withdrawing from the team competition after her first vault attempt, Biles went on to miss the four individual events before returning for the balance beam. She managed to win a bronze medal \u2014 certainly an accomplishment \u2014 but not what was expected of her.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While it is appropriate to sympathize with her state, her GOAT status is certainly up for debate. Biles has not ruled out participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everything about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was unusual.\u00a0The lack of fans in the stands made the events boring and dry, athletes were forced to wear masks due to COVID protocols &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-630128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}