Olympic notables: Maggie Mac Neil’s gold-medal swim was a sight for weak eyes

Opinion

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This article was published 26/07/2021 (1510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maggie Mac Neil’s gold-medal swim Monday was impressive but it was her ability to reach the top of the Olympic podium without glasses or contact lenses that shook social media. It took Mac Neil, who won the 100-metre butterfly, a second after she touched the wall to be see the results.

Fans on social media could relate to eyesight struggles. One went to hospital once “because of my ineptitude with contacts.” Another was proud of “cycling a few kilometres with only one contact lens in and not getting hit by a car.” Some wondered if their contact lenses were holding them back.

“The most I’ve ever related to an Olympic gold medallist was watching her squint at the scores,” another person posted. “My fellow myopia sufferer, I salute you.”

The struggle is real. But not for Mac Neil.

• Fashion forward: Outfit of the weekend went to the German women’s gymnastic team.

The athletes chose to wear full-body unitards during qualifying, forgoing the high-cut bikini style leotards worn by most female competitors at the Games. The team first debuted the style at the European championships in April, saying the outfits were a statement against sexualization in gymnastics.

“The aim is to present themselves esthetically, without feeling uncomfortable,” the German Gymnastics Federation said in a statement at the time.

German gymnast Elisabeth Seitz said the team wanted to show that every woman, and every person, should be able to decide what they want to wear. Full or half sleeves and leg coverings are permitted by the sports’ governing body, as long as the colour matches the leotard.

• Showing his Pride: It will be a lasting image from Tokyo 2020: Great Britain diver Tom Daley on top of the podium after winning the 10-metre synchronized diving with Matty Lee, tears streaming down his face and catching in his mask.

Daley, 27, has three world championship gold medals and four Commonwealth Games golds to his name but had just two bronze medals in three Olympics before Tokyo.

It wasn’t just the gold-medal performance that had Daley feeling emotional. He was “incredibly proud” to be a gay man and an Olympic champion.

“When I was younger I didn’t think I’d ever achieve anything because of who I was,” he said. “To be an Olympic champion now just shows that you can achieve anything.”

At least 142 openly LGBTQ athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, dwarfing a then record-breaking 56 who were out at Rio 2016. According to Outsports, this year’s number of LGBTQ athletes is greater than all previous Summer Games combined.

Daley, who came out as gay in 2013, said he hoped “any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone.”

• Classic Dean: Find yourself a coach who celebrates your wins like Ariarne Titmus’s coach, Dean Boxall, celebrates hers. The Australian swimmer dethroned Katie Ledecky in the 400-metre freestyle final Monday, handing the American her first individual loss in her Olympics career.

Boxall’s wild reaction to Titmus’s win quickly went viral. He travelled the length of the athletes’ seating, ripping off his mask, shimmying and waving his arms before gyrating against a railing. Titmus called Boxall’s reaction “classic Dean.”

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“The thing that made me quite emotional was actually seeing him watch my medal ceremony,” she said. “He was crying and trying to contain the emotions.”

• The kids are all right: The youth movement at these Games was on full display in women’s street skateboarding Sunday, where the podium was swept by teenagers.

Japan’s Momiji Nishiya, 13, took the gold, Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, also 13, claimed silver and Japan’s Funa Nakayama, 16, landed bronze.

“It’s going to change the whole game,” American skater Mariah Duran told The Associated Press. “I’m not surprised if there’s probably already, like, 500 girls getting a board today.”

Canada has its own young female face of skating. Fay DeFazio Ebert, 11, is the youngest member of Canada’s national skateboarding team and a name to watch in the coming years, even though COVID-19 derailed her shot at competing at Tokyo 2020.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy