A surfer jumps in to translate for the rival who had just beaten him. High-jumping friends agree to share a gold medal rather than move to a tiebreaker. Two runners fall in a tangle of legs, then help each other to the finish line.
In an extraordinary Olympic Games where mental health has been front and center, acts of kindness are everywhere. The world’s most competitive athletes have been captured showing gentleness and warmth to one another — celebrating, pep-talking, wiping away one another’s tears of disappointment.
Kanoa Igarashi of Japan was disappointed when he lost to Brazilian Italo Ferreira on Tuesday last week in their sport’s Olympic debut.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Not only did he blow his shot at gold on the beach he grew up surfing, he was also being taunted online by racist Brazilian trolls.
The Japanese-American surfer could have stewed in silence, but he instead deployed his knowledge of Portuguese, helping to translate a news conference question for Ferreira on the world stage.
The crowd giggled hearing the cross-rival translation and an official thanked the silver medalist for the assist.
“Yes, thank you, Kanoa,” said a beaming Ferreira, who is learning English.
At the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar found themselves in a situation they had talked about, but never experienced — they were tied.
Both high jumpers were perfect until the bar was set to the Olympic-record height of 2.39m. Each missed three times.
They could have gone to a jump-off, but instead decided to share the gold.
“I know for a fact that for the performance I did, I deserve that gold. He did the same thing, so I know he deserved that gold,” Barshim said. “This is beyond sport. This is the message we deliver to the young generation.”
After they decided, Tamberi slapped Barshim’s hand and jumped into his arms.
“Sharing with a friend is even more beautiful,” Tamberi said. “It was just magical.”
Earlier, on the same track, runners Isaiah Jewett of the US and Nijel Amos of Botswana became tangled and fell during the 800m semi-finals. Rather than get angry, they helped each other to their feet, put their arms around each other and finished together.
Many top athletes come to know each other personally from their time on the road, which can feel long, concentrated and intense — marked by career moments that might be the best or worst of their lives.
Those feelings have often been amplified at the COVID-19-delayed Tokyo Games, where there is an unmistakable yearning for normalcy and, perhaps, a newfound appreciation for seeing familiar faces.
After a hard-fought, three-set victory in the beach volleyball round-robin final on Saturday at Shiokaze Park, Brazilian Rebecca Cavalcanti playfully poured a bottle of water on American Kelly Claes’ back as she did postgame interviews.
The US team had just defeated Brazil, but the winners laughed it off, explaining that they are friends.
“I’m excited when quarantine’s done so we can sit at the same table and go to dinner with them, but it’s kind of hard in a bubble because we have to be away,” said Sarah Sponcil, Claes’ teammate.
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