La Presse in Tokyo | Crazy, crazy, crazy games

Yes ?

Too strong. Truly. There is only one final test left to pass. The ultimate challenge. One of the most incredible, unusual and unnecessary stories and statistics of the Games. Will your brain resist? Or explode?

The shortest fight

It was the very first fight of the Games. A clash between the Brazilian Gabriela Chibana and the Malawian Harriet Bonface. The two judokas had barely had time to greet each other when it was already over. Victory of Chibana by ippon. In 14 seconds. That is, less time than it took you to read this capsule.

The youngest podium

Are you ready to get old? The three medalists in the park, in skateboarding, were all born after 2000. Sakura Yosozumi is 19, Kokona Hiraki, 12, and Sky Brown, 13. For a combined total of 44 years. The most popular snowboarder on the planet, Tony Hawk, has 53 …

The most dominant athlete

Cuban Mijaín López, winner of the gold medal in the 130 kg in Greco-Roman wrestling. He won all four of his fights, scoring 24 points and allowing none. His record since the Beijing Games in 2008? Sixteen wins, no losses!

The worst performance

Alana Smith, in street. Any 12-year-old who wanders his board in the Couche-Tard parking lot would have done better. During seven attempts, the ex-child prodigy of skate just drove slowly. Like a tourist on a Segway in the Old Port. There was absolutely nothing going on. Yves Boisvert and I were dumbfounded. The judges too. His final grade? 1.25 point …

The biggest massacre

Several excellent candidates in rugby, where the gaps are reminiscent of those in university football matches in Quebec. Examples ? Canada 45, Brazil 0. Australia 48, Japan 0. Argentina 56, South Korea 0. But the grand jury-of-which-I’m-the-only-member goes to the women’s water polo match between the Netherlands. Bas and South Africa, won 33-1 by the Dutch. Thirty-three goals is more than one per minute of play. When was the last time a women’s team had scored so many goals in a game at the Olympics or the World Championships? For ever.

The most unlikely medalist

Hungarian sailor Zsombor Berecz, silver medalist in the Finn event, in sailing. Impressive. Especially when you realize that Hungary is a landlocked country, without access to the sea.

The strangest names

Bingo du Parc, Killer Queen, Quel Filou, Twentytwo des Biches and Violine de la Brasserie all competed in the same Tokyo Games event. Which ? Answer at the end of the column *.

Word from the Games

Twisties. No, it’s not a Japanese licorice that bestows superpowers on marathoners. Rather, it is a phenomenon feared by gymnasts, trampolinists and divers: the loss of bearings during a jump. It was this disorder that forced gymnast Simone Biles to withdraw from several competitions. “I have no idea where I’m going to land, or if I’m going to land on my head, hands, feet or back,” she said after her package. Scary.

Object of the Games

What do the 100m champion, the 100m and 200m gold medalists and the new world record holders in the 400m hurdles and triple jump have in common? All competed with the new generation of Nike shoes, which caused a sensation. These shoes include “a foam cushion, sandwiched between the sole and a carbon plate”, reports the newspaper. The world. A technology that allows sprinters to gain up to a tenth of a second per 100 m.

The obstacle of the Games

The riders and their horses were treated to quite a surprise when they reached the tenth obstacle. A sumo wrestler. More precisely a sculpture of a sumo wrestler holding the bars to be crossed. A little too realistic, to the point of scaring horses. “Looks like a real person, lamented a rider at a press briefing. It’s a bit scary. When getting ready to jump, horses don’t want to see an intense guy ready to fight with them! ”

Disqualification from the Games

In modern pentathlon, riders discover the horse they will be riding in a draw 20 minutes before the competition. It’s not always crazy love at first sight. The German Annika Schleu saw it when her horse refused to jump an obstacle. His trainer, Kim Raisner, tried to correct the animal by hitting it on its rump. Very bad idea. Riding on his high horses earned him an exclusion from the Games.

The most zen athlete

The Japanese Naoko Ishihara. After unloading her superimposed rifle at 114 targets in two days, she retreated to the Shinto shrine of Furumine, where she is a priestess. “I’m always praying,” she explained, “so I find it a little easier to concentrate than other Japanese people. ”

Declaration of the Games

The Olympic champions of the citation? The French. Without even hesitating. Favorite for the decathlete Kevin Mayer, author of a tasty metaphor at the minute: “Damian Warner is far ahead, but people know me: I’m not here to pick blueberries!” ”

A name to remember

This 2.09m basketball player maintained a 100% efficiency rate on the floor. He even managed a shot from half the field. However, his name does not appear in any match summary at the Tokyo Games. Who is he ? CUE 5. A humanoid robot. Toyota engineers presented it during the half-time of the game between France and the United States. CUE 5 first scored a free throw. Then a three-point shot, to end it in force with a bomb dropped from the center line. Scary.

So, your brain? Still intact? Maybe you should check your family tree. I suspect CUE 5 is one of your left butt cousins…

* Answer: Riding events. These are some of the names worn by horses.

With Agence France-Presse, The team, Kyodo News and Olympic Broadcast Services