Olympics - Tokyo 2020 - Day 4

 Day 4 - July 24, 2021

The first full day of competition is in the books, so like the swimmers I am going to just jump right in.  I should note, however, that Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, so some of the events that I watch yesterday occur today, and that affects where I place them in my updates.  Also, where I place each of the events is largely dependent upon where I place them in my notes, so there may be some inconsistencies.  Oh well.

First and foremost, United States women's soccer righted itself with a 6-1 victory over New Zealand, in large part due to the insertion of 5 "new" starters.  These 5 new starters are mainstays of the team over the years, including Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Rose Lavelle.

This was our first look at 3x3 basketball, and it is amazing.  It is going to be a sure fire hit in these Olympics.  Non-stop action, and the skill level is absolutely amazing.  The American women are going to be a force to reckon with, led by all-tim NCAA career scoring leader Kelsey Plum (pictured).

In the 60kg weight class of judo, Takata Naohosa won the host country's first gold medal.  Traditionally the host country receives a bump - wins more medals than otherwise ordinarily projected - but without the crowds it will be interesting to see how Japan succeeds.

The race of the day was in the pool, in the Men's 400 meter freestyle qualifiers.  In the 5th heat five swimmers, Australia's Elijah Winnington and Jack McLoughlin, the USA's Kieran Smith and Jake Mitchell, and Italy's Marco de Tullio, all finished within .65 seconds of each other, and with the top 3 (Winnington, McLoughlin and Smith) finishing within .05 seconds of each other.   Each of the 5 advanced to the next round.  We can only hope that the semi-finals and finals are as competitive.

Another exciting match occurred in the women's Epee individual gold medal matchup between Sun Yiwen of China and Ana Maria Popescu of Romania, in which Sun defeated Popescu 11-10 in overtime for her first Olympic gold medal (and third overall).

Also in fencing, in the men's sabre, Aron Szilagyi of Hungary defeated Italy's Luigi Samele 15-7 in the finals to win his thrid consecutive gold medal, becoming the first male fencer to win 3 individual golds.

Also of note, out at Fuji International Speedway in the men's cycling road race Ecuador's Richard Carapaz jumped away from the Peloton to claim the gold medal and a little revenge after finishing fourth last week in the Tour de France.  Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia finished third to earn the bronze medal, just behind Belgian's Wout van Aert.  (Cue Tag Team!)

Athlete of the Day - Aron Szilagyi, Fencing, Hungary

Only male ever to win three individual gold medals in fencing.  That definitely merits the Athlete of the Day designation.

Olympic Term of the Day:  Riposte - In fencing, it is a quick return thrust, often after one parries an attack; a counter-attack.

Olympic Events Watched:  3x3, Archery, Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Handball, Judo, Rowing, Shooting, Soccer, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting, 

USA Potential Closing Ceremony Flag-Bearer:  Brady Ellison, Cat Osterman, Kelsey Plum