It’s probably not possible to catch all the best moments in a single day of the Olympic Games—but we’re going to try. Every day, we’ll be awarding titles for standout achievements at (and around) Rio 2016, achievements that may or may not be recognized on the podium (and may or may not even be of an athletic nature). Here are our picks for today.
The gold for spectacular vistas
OK, we know the water’s dirty, we know the country’s bankrupt, and yes, we’ve heard that crime abounds. But Rio is one beautiful city. The view from the beach volleyball stands at dusk—island mounds in the distance, boats sailing romantically by. The sky turning lavender and then aubergine; cobalt and then indigo. And, of course, the amazing talent on display way down there under the floodlights—that part’s good, too.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
The gold for sneaking up on someone in the best possible way
Sandrine Mainville was in the midst of telling CBC’s Andi Petriollo how hard the past three years of training have been—especially having to be away from her family—when a man slipped his arm around her. She screamed. It was her dad. She didn’t know her parents were in Rio. A day earlier, the 24-year-old from Boucherville, Que., helped Canada win bronze in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay. Warning: This one’s a tear-jerker.
The gold for not quitting
In truth, every Olympian deserves this gold. So much work, so little recognition. But how many athletes in a sport as gruelling as gymnastics manage to make appearances in seven consecutive Olympic Games? Well, we don’t know off-hand, but at least one: Oksana Chusovitina, now 41 and representing Uzbekistan, who posted a 14.999 in qualifications for vault on Sunday morning and earned a spot in the final. (She finished just ahead of Canadian Shallon Olsen.) Chusovitina is no mere hanger-onner—she won silver in vault in Beijing, and silver in worlds in 2011.
The gold for finally winning gold
When Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu roared to the 400-metre IM title late Saturday night, setting a new world record, it was a long time coming. Competing in her fourth Olympic Games, Hosszu came tantalizingly close to an Olympic medal in London, finishing fourth in the 400 IM. Since then, she has been unbeatable in the event at worlds, and has even named herself the Iron Lady for her relentless competition schedule (she is said to compete almost weekly). After touching nearly five seconds before the second-place American Maya DiRado, Hosszu was not shy about claiming credit for a phenomenal race.
The gold for inciting a group hug
If you haven’t been following women’s rugby till now, take heart: There’s still one more day of competition. And Canada has advanced to the semis after beating France in decisive fashion late Sunday afternoon. They were pretty happy about it, as the photo at the top of this page perfectly illustrates.