Japan's Sweet End At 2020 Olympics, Breaks Record In Athens With 27 Gold Medals

JAKARTA - Japan ended the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a record 27 gold medals, far exceeding the previous record high of 16 at the 2000 Athens Olympics.

The general manager for Japan's national delegation Mitsugi Ogata praised the athletes, saying he was "glad we were able to deliver some encouraging news," as quoted by Reuters via Antara, Sunday, August 8.

There are concerns about the Olympics being deemed "unnecessary" amid the pandemic, but with the performances of Japanese athletes, organizers are "gradually gaining public understanding," Ogata said.

Japan's total medal tally stood at 58, also a record, and surpassed the previous record high of 37 medals in Athens.

The medals include wave surfing, rock climbing and skateboarding. All three are sports that debuted at the Tokyo Olympics.

Japan also recorded medals in judo, with Uta and Hifumi Abe becoming the first siblings in Olympic history to win a gold medal on the same day. Preliminary projections by data firm Gracenote had estimated Japan securing 60 medals.

Japan also faced some major disappointments when tennis star Naomi Osaka crashed out in the third round, days after she came into the spotlight when lighting the Olympic cauldron of fire at the opening ceremony.

In the golf sport, Hideki Matsuyama, who won the 2021 Masters Tournament, failed to bag bronze in the men's number.

While a large part of the public remains against this year's Olympics, after being postponed to 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IOC has touted high television viewership to show Japan's public support for the world's multi-event sporting event.