It may not be 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 award 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 Day 11.
Gold medal for going for it
Was Derek Drouin ever really not going to go for the Olympic record? With top spot in the high jump already secured — and having beaten some eccentric, lanky dudes to get there — it initially looked like Drouin was going to pass on taking a crack at a new Games mark of 2.40 metres. But the high-steppin’ Canadian reversed course and gamely took his shot at history.
While Drouin didn’t slide over the bar, he did become the first man from his country to win the high jump competition since Duncan McNaughton (scissored, I guess?) his way over 1.97m at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles. Drouin also made every single jump that really mattered, never knocking the bar over until the gold was already in his back pocket.
Gold medal for showing your mettle
The Canadian women’s basketball team nearly ran France off the court early on in their quarterfinal basketball game, but the battle-tested French clawed back for the victory. Canada led 25-16 after one quarter, but the upset wasn’t meant to be.
Canadian star Kia Nurse struggled through a 3-for-17 showing (and was far from the only Canuck who had trouble from the field), while France did a great job on the offensive boards.
The contest was very much in doubt until Olivia Epoupa hit a pair of free throws to give her team a three-point lead with just over a minute to go. After one more wild attempt from Nurse, Gaelle Skrela deposited a bucket that pretty much sealed the deal.
Gold medal for speaking your mind
Forget jabs and uppercuts, Irishman Michael Conlan was dropping truth (and ‘F’) bombs in the aftermath of his loss by unanimous decision to Russian Vladimir Nikitin in the quarterfinals of the men’s bantamweight boxing division.
Here’s a sample — it’s the saltiest stuff we could provide — of what Conlan had to say on live TV just moments after being on the wrong end of what he felt was an unjust result:
“They’re cheating bastards, they’re paying everybody…Amateur boxing stinks, from the core right to the top.”
Conlan later tweeted at Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting he was in on the corruption.
And did we mention he also flipped the judges off before he even left the ring? That’s passion!
Gold medal for quieting an entire nation
That scarlet streak you saw on Tuesday wasn’t some kind of South American cosmic event, but rather Sweden’s Hedvig Lindahl — clad in her red H&M goalkeeper’s jersey — diving through the air to deny the penalty attempt of Brazil’s Andressa.
With both teams having already missed one boot, there was no margin for error when Andressa lined up to take her club’s fifth attempt. The Brazilian crushed the ball toward the top half of the net, but Lindahl was equal to the task, moving to her right so fast she almost left a vapor trail.
The save stunned the huge, partisan crowd, which lost all hope on the next play when Lisa Dahlkvist scored for Sweden to punch a ticket into the gold medal match.
Gold medal for providing warm and fuzzy feelings
Haven’t quite got your “spirit of sport” fix yet this summer? Try this touching moment on for size.
During a heat in the women’s 5,000 metres, American Abbey D’Agostino tripped over Kiwi Nikki Hamblin after the latter lost her footing and crumbled onto the track. D’Agostino urged Hamblin to get up and finish, but when the pair moved toward the finish line, it was evident D’Agostino had injured her knee.
Like a protective parent who refused to leave her injured child behind, Hamblin stopped running to try and help D’Agostino out. When it became clear D’Agostino needed time to collect herself, she made Hamblin go on without her. Both eventually finished and, best of all, each of them still get a spot in the final because their falls were caused by trips..
