2021 Olympics – First gold medal given, plus updates on all the action in Tokyo

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The Olympic Games are officially underway in Tokyo. After a year of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic and a myriad of questions until Friday, we finally got to see Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez leading the Team USA delegation through the Parade of Nations and Naomi Osaka lighting up the Olympic torch.

Now that the Opening Ceremonies are over, it’s time to turn our attention to what the Games are: competition.

Team USA has a roster of 613 athletes in 36 different disciplines. He is the second tallest Olympic athlete in US history, behind the 1996 Atlanta Games, when America had 646 athletes.

Olympic medal tracker

From Simone Biles looking to tie the game for most Olympic gold medals won in women’s gymnastics (currently owned by Soviet legend Larisa Latynina) to Megan Rapinoe and the United States women’s national football team looking to rectify their defeat in the quarterfinals of 2016 against Sweden in a return win of the World Cup and the Olympic championships, Tokyo promises to be an unforgettable Olympics.

Here’s what happened during the first full day of events:

Nigerian first

China wins first Games gold

China’s Yang Qian won the first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, taking first place in the women’s 10-meter air rifle.

Yang passed Russia’s Anastasiia Galachina when she missed both center rings for an 8.9 on her last shot.

Yang got a 9.8 on his last stroke and finished with an Olympic record of 251.8. Galachina finished at 251.1.

Naomi Osaka lights the torch

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and one of the Games superstars, joined Muhammad Ali, Steve Nash, Wayne Gretzky, Rafer Johnson and the 1980 US men’s hockey team as honored Olympians distinguished to light the cauldron.

Willis: Osaka shines by closing the opening ceremony.

Team USA sings HBD to KD

Isn’t it even her birthday? Team USA made a point of trolling NBA superstar Kevin Durant by serenading him with a very public and very strong interpretation of “Happy Birthday”. For those who think this could have been a pure gesture, we have to inform you that Durant’s birthday is not until September.

Checking the form before the parade

The United States team showed off their look before taking part in the opening ceremony at the Tokyo National Stadium on Friday.

“Let’s just take a moment”

Returning for his third Olympics as the flag bearer of Tonga, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, Pita Taufatofua is always a crowd pleaser. Her appearance prompted NBC’s Savannah Guthrie to say, “Let’s just take a moment.”

NBA’s Hachimura carries the hosts’ flag

Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura carried the Japanese flag during the opening ceremony. Hachimura was the 9th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft in Gonzaga.

A greener flame

According to the Associated Press, the Tokyo National Stadium flame and another cauldron burning along the waterfront near Tokyo Bay throughout the games will be fueled in part by hydrogen, the first time the source of fuel will be used to fuel an Olympic fire.

Previous flames have generally run on propane, although magnesium, gunpowder, resin, and olive oil have also been used since the first modern cauldron was lit for the Amsterdam Games in 1928. Unlike the propane, hydrogen does not produce carbon dioxide when burned.

The organizers of the London Games in 2012 presented plans for a low-carbon torch, but couldn’t get the right design in time. Instead, they used a mixture of propane and butane. Brazilian authorities ordered a smaller cauldron for Rio in 2016 to reduce the amount of fuel needed.

A new look for hoops

FLOTUS Konnichiwa

The American team’s water wall

Team USA women’s water polo goaltender Ashleigh Johnson helped her team gain the advantage over Japan. Johnson finished with 15 saves. The Americans beat the host nation 25-4 in the Group B opener.



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