Athletics the biggest winner at Tokyo 2020

At
the
Closing
Ceremony,
World
Athletics
(WA)
President
Sebastian
Coe
hailed
the
Tokyo
2020
Olympic
Games
and
the
people
of
Japan
for
allowing
the
dreams
of
the
world’s
athletes
to
come
to
life
at
what
has
proven
to
be
the
most
globally
successful
edition
of
the
Games
for
athletics.

Some
70
per
cent
of
athletes
only
get
one
chance
to
compete
at
the
Olympic
Games
and
in
Tokyo
athletes
made
the
most
of
the
opportunity
under
the
most
challenging
circumstances.

Coe
thanked
Japan
and
the
Tokyo
2020
Organising
Committee
for
providing
the
best
possible
platform
on
which
the
sport’s
stars
could
shine.

Over
ten
days
of
competition,
three
world
records,
12
Olympic
records,
28
area
records
and
151
national
records
were
set
in
these
history-making
Games.

“To
the
people
of
Japan,
we
know
the
hardship
you
have
endured
and
continue
to
endure
in
the
face
of
this
global
pandemic,”
Coe
said.

“We
owe
you
a
massive
debt
of
gratitude
for
your
gracious
hospitality,
your
professionalism
and
your
friendship.
You
really
have
been
simply
the
best
and
we
thank
you
unreservedly.”

The
tally
of
43
countries
on
the
medal
table
is
the
biggest
in
athletics
for
more
than
20
years,
underlining
the
diversity
and
depth
of
talent
in
the
sport.
Across
all
Olympic
sports
at
the
Tokyo
Games,
93
teams
earned
medals,
so
almost
50
percent
of
those
achieved
their
dreams
in
athletics.

For
12
teams
–
Bahamas,
Bahrain,
Botswana,
Burkina
Faso,
Ethiopia,
Grenada,
Jamaica,
Kenya,
Morocco,
Namibia,
Puerto
Rico
and
Uganda
–
athletics
was
their
pathway
to
the
Olympic
podium.

In
total,
athletes
at
the
Games
covered
a
combined
distance
of
2,045,750
metres
in
track
events
and
10,737km
in
road
events.
Field
eventers
threw
a
combined
distance
of
1508
metres
and
jumped
a
combined
distance
of
2490
metres.