Tokyo Olympics: With 100 Days Until the Games, Countdown Generating Excitement

Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

Editorial content for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games coverage is sponsored by GMX7.
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The countdown to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics has reached 100 days.

That in itself is a representation of the hopes of athletes after the games were postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic last year. In 2020, the 100-day-countdown mark never happened as the pandemic postponed the games by a year before the stretch run of 100 days was celebrated as it had been in the past.

In 2016, there were events all around the world involving Olympic athletes as the excitement of the Rio de Janeiro games hit its stretch run with the 100-day mark.

“It is exciting. The Olympics were postponed last year prior to the 100 day mark, so we never really got to that mark. Every day this year is exciting, getting closer and closer. You can finally feel that excitement building, and you know it is happening. We are about two months from Olympic trials and that is the big marker for us swimmers. It is coming up soon. We are doing the final pushes of really hard training to put all the work in that we can,” Katie Ledecky said. “I am excited — 100 days is going to fly by.”

Getting to that 100-day mark is a good sign for athletes around the world as the Olympic torch moves through Japan.

“It definitely should be an exciting next couple of months,” Lilly King said.

King and most of the swimmers have not qualified for the team yet, as the Olympic trials have not happened.

But a couple have in open water.

“My journey to Tokyo has been a long one. I qualified in 2019, so it has been quite a while since I qualified. I am really excited to gear up for the next couple of months,” Haley Anderson said.

The 2021 Opening Ceremony is on July 23 and the Closing Ceremony is on Aug. 8.

The swimming competition begins on July 24 and runs through Aug. 1.
Diving starts July 25 and goes through Aug. 7.
Artistic swimming is in the second week of competition, beginning Aug. 2 and ending Aug. 7
Water polo begins July 24 and runs through Aug. 8 with gold medal matches on Aug. 7-8.
The open water swimming will take place Aug. 4-5.

Overall, there are 33 sports and 339 medal events. Medals are going to come from 100% recycled material. Check out the complete schedule of competition for all sports here.

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