NPR's team in Tokyo put together our favorite moments of the Games, where participants showed their athleticism, sportsmanship, and what motivated them to compete.
The pandemic has kept the venues at the Tokyo Olympics mostly empty of spectators. But team officials and athletes are allowed to attend and countries have found creative ways to amplify the cheering.
Data shows, almost without exception, that Olympic athletes from the host country win more medals in the summer games than they did when they were competing away from home.
After failing to win a single gold medal across all track events leading into Saturday, the U.S. men's team dominated in the 4x400 meter relay's final heat to the top spot on the podium.
Karate is one of the new sports added to the Olympics for the first time at the Tokyo Games. The sport traces its roots to Japan where it was developed 700 years ago.
Ashleigh Johnson, the first African American woman to make a U.S. Olympic water polo team, blocked 11 out of 15 shots from Spain during the gold medal match – a rate of 73%.
The USA team defeated France 87-82 to win the gold medal. Kevin Durant, of the Brooklyn Nets, dominated during the game. It was the squad's seventh gold medal in the past eight Olympics.