Sweden’s best – but the biggest Olympic imprints are Norwegian and Danish

• Viktor Axelsen, Denmark, badminton

Five years ago, Viktor Axelsen won Olympic bronze in Rio and the following year World Cup gold in Glasgow – but when the 27-year-old from Odense was able to call himself Olympic champion in Tokyo, an emotional storm followed that we have rarely seen the husband of. He looked anything but happy – rather desperate – but it was only tears of joy when the Dane sobbed waving into the camera after the won match ball against the Chinese Chen Long and continued to cry for several minutes before posing for a TV interview. After the Olympic gold, Viktor Axelsen is the man on everyone’s lips in Denmark and is expected to take home a grand slam at the country’s upcoming sports gala.

• Karster Warholm, Norway, athletics

The final of the 400 meter hurdles was one of the worst that the athletics world has ever seen. In a race where the starting field had the best possible conditions superscore and exceptionally fast tracks at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, no less than three of the runners broke American Kevin Young’s previous world record from 1992, which Karsten Warholm managed to surpass in early July when he ran 46.70. This time, the Norwegian slaughtered his previous note by almost a second when the clock stopped at 45.94. Not long after that, runner-up Rai Benjamin rushed over the finish line at 46.17, which was the second fastest time ever. The Brazilian Alison dos Santos also entered the top in history in the branch as third when he scored 46.72.

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• Anne-Marie Rindom, Denmark, sailing

Beforehand, it was mainly the reigning Olympic champion Marit Bouwmeester who was the challenger for the gold in the laser radial sailing discipline. But the Dutchman had to settle for bronze. Instead, it was Sweden’s Josefin Olsson who was closest to threatening Anne-Marie Rindom who had a clear lead before the decisive medal race. The 30-year-old Dane’s lead was so reassuring that she could afford to only be seventh in the final where Olsson sailed in goal as number one. This was enough for Rindom to become Olympic champion for the first time and at the same time secure Denmark’s first gold in the games in Tokyo.

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• Mira Potkonen, Finland, boxing

A lot of emotions were also offered in the sumo arena Kokugikan, where Finland secured one of a total of two bronze medals in the Olympics. 40-year-old Mira Potkonen had dreamed of ending her career with a gold but had to go home crying from Tokyo with a bronze, the same denomination she won in Rio 2016. Since both semifinal losers are presented with a bronze medal, Potkonen shared third place with Brazil’s Betriz Ferreira.

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• Kristian Blummenfelt, Norway, triathlon

If the Olympic gold itself was not proof that Kristian Blummenfelt gave his all in the men’s triathlon, he manifested it further after the finish. After an hour, 45 minutes and four seconds of swimming, cycling and running, the overjoyed but exhausted Norwegian fell to the ground and vomited before being helped away from the target area by officials. 27-year-old Blummenfelt’s biggest success in his career was thus a fact and also the Nordic region’s first Olympic gold ever in triathlon.

Read more:

“Sand volleyball guys” took the Olympic gold – Norway not only the best on snow

The athletics oracle saw the ranking system: “Terribly unfair”

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