Djokovic's Shocking Elimination... Tokyo Olympics Full of Upsets

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Amid the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympics, upsets are occurring one after another.

Men's tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) lost twice in one day, and Teddy Riner (France), known as the judo powerhouse, was defeated in the men's over 100kg quarterfinals, settling for a bronze medal.

First, in tennis, Djokovic swept the men's singles titles at this year's Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, and challenged for the gold medal in this tournament but was eliminated in the semifinals.

Rarely knowing defeat, he bowed his head twice in one day on the 31st, losing not only in the men's singles but also in the mixed doubles semifinals.

In women's tennis, world No. 1 and 2 in singles Ashley Barty (Australia) and Naomi Osaka (Japan) were also eliminated early, causing a series of upsets.

In judo, Riner, who has won the World Championships 10 times and swept the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics as an 'absolute powerhouse,' was eliminated in the quarterfinals this time.

Also, in the rowing events that concluded that day, the United States and Great Britain, known as 'rowing powerhouses,' finished the competition with disappointing results.

Great Britain won one silver and one bronze medal in rowing at this tournament, marking the first time in 41 years since the 1980 Moscow Olympics that Great Britain ended the Summer Olympics rowing events without a gold medal.

The United States did not win any rowing medals at all, which is the first time since the 1908 Games.

So far, the United States has won 33 gold medals in Olympic rowing events, Great Britain 31, and East Germany 33, making them the countries with the most gold medals, but this tournament was notably disappointing for them.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, 'absolute powerhouses' like Usain Bolt (athletics) and Michael Phelps (swimming) lived up to their 'superstar' reputations, but at this year's Tokyo Olympics, the defeats of top-ranked athletes have been frequently noticeable.

Many upsets occurred even before the 31st.

In skateboarding, which was adopted as an official event for the first time in this tournament, Nyjah Huston (USA) was a strong favorite for the gold medal.

He is a four-time World Championship winner and 12-time World X Games champion, but in this tournament, he finished 7th in the final round of eight competitors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.