International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says that despite the odds, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics had been a success. /Dan Mullan/ Pool via Reuters
• On an emotional final day of the Tokyo Games, amid the last international bouts and a slew of medals, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach declared the 2020 Olympics to have been a success despite COVID-19.
"We can already now say with confidence that we have experienced a very successful Olympic Games considering all the uncertainties we had the last two years," said Bach. Now there's just 1,083 days to go until the next Summer Olympics.
• As is the custom, Tokyo handed its Olympic flag to the mayor of Paris on Sunday, setting the stage for the next Games in 2024 in a firework-lit closing ceremony that aimed to emphasize human contact despite the constraints of pandemic. There is already much excitement in Paris.
But before the closing ceremony there were still some golds to be won....
• In the men's water polo, Rio 2016 champion Serbia won its second Olympic gold medal in a row in the sport, beating Greece 13-10.
• Bulgaria's perfect co-ordination helped the team win gold in the rhythmic gymnastics group event, ending the streak of wins by Russian competitors that dates back to the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
• France claimed its first Olympic women's handball title, securing the gold against the Russian Olympic Committee team in a dramatic, high-paced game ending 30-25, while the U.S. won its first Olympic gold medal in women's volleyball, beating Brazil in straight sets.
• In boxing, Cuba's Andy Cruz defeated Keyshawn Davis by split decision to win the men's lightweight gold, while Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan punished the U.S.'s Richard Torrez Jr to take the men's super heavyweight boxing gold. Ireland's Kellie Harrington beat Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira in the women's lightweight boxing and Britain's Lauren Price grabbed the women's middleweight title.
• Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge dominated the Olympic men's marathon to win his second straight gold medal, cementing his place among the all-time greats of the sport. "I wanted to create a space to show the world that this is a beautiful race," Kipchoge said.
• After securing his seventh Olympic gold medal in track cycling, Britain's most successful Olympian, Jason Kenny, said he had managed the accolade simply by "chipping away" at the sport for more than a decade. Britain's chef de mission Mark England hailed Team GB's overall success as the greatest in its Olympic history.
• American Jennifer Valente came back from a late crash to land an historic gold in women's cycling, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic track title, while Canada's Kelsey Mitchell claimed the Olympic women's sprint gold.
• Strategically, Italy's COVID-19 gamble, which meant a small group of athletes could train throughout the pandemic, has paid off handsomely at Tokyo. The Italian team beat traditional European sports powerhouses Germany and France to set a new national record with 40 medals.
• World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said that they would be adaptable about calendar of future events, given the mid-summer heat competitors faced in Tokyo and "the world getting hotter."
• Coe also said that he thought the sport was "not in a bad place at the moment" on shoe and track technology, credited by some for the very fast times seen on the track during the games. "Wherever you look in sport… there's innovation and development, and we shouldn't be stifling that."
Fireworks go off around the Olympic Stadium at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. /Adek Berry / AFP
GOLD MEDAL WINNERS
Athletics
Men's Marathon Final - Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)
Basketball
Women's Gold Medal Game - USA
Boxing
Women's Light Final Bout - Kellie Anne Harrington (Ireland)
Men's Light Final Bout - Andy Cruz (Cuba)
Women's Middle Final Bout - Lauren Price (GB)
Men's Super Heavy Final Bout - Bakhodir Jalolov (Uzbekistan)
Track Cycling
Women's Sprint Finals - Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
Men's Keirin Final - Jason Kenny (GB)
Women's Omnium Points Race Final - Jennifer Valentine (USA)
Handball
Women's Gold Medal Match - France
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Group All-Around Final - Bulgaria
Volleyball
Women's Bronze Medal Match - Serbia
Water polo
Men's Gold Medal Match - Serbia