Olympic moments

Freedom of speech, press, assembly and to protest is one of the tenets of our country that should be cherished, and expanded to other countries.

At times, however, it doesn’t feel as if we do cherish or honor it. Look at the situation involving Colin Kaepernick. When he sat during the national anthem, and later knelt, he was lambasted for doing so. Rather than explore why he chose to do what he did, there were quick and sometimes vehement responses. Looking back, some may not agree with what Kaepernick was saying, but everyone should agree that he wasn’t wrong in choosing that way of expressing himself, particularly if you value the idea of free speech.

In Saunders’ situation, she later explained that the X symbolized the oppression of several groups — Black, LGBTQIA+ or mentally struggling — and she sought to inspire them and represent them. No problem. Great, in fact.

While it doesn’t appear that she will be losing her silver medal because of the expression, she experienced a different tragedy Tuesday when her mother died. This is a lot for anyone to take, especially someone who is incredibly open with her own struggles with mental health. She deserves all of our support.

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Another athlete who deserves support is Simone Biles. I do hope she is OK, and respect her decision to pull out of events. I didn’t see any of the negative response on social media about her pulling out, but disparaging an athlete about their choice to not compete, regardless of timing, doesn’t make any sense. Granted, it is disappointing to not see her compete and represent the United States, but don’t you think she was way more disappointed? Absolutely no need to pile on. I’m glad she was able to compete again and obtain bronze in the balance beam, though, whatever she was going through was obviously very challenging and it opened a lot of eyes about the pressure athletes face. Besides, we saw firsthand the value of teamwork, and the other U.S. gymnasts carried her load quite well.

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While mental pressure is obviously a huge part of the games, the main focus is on the athletic performances themselves. And the beauty of the Olympics is that there is surely something for anyone and every day new storylines emerge. While it’s natural to pull for the U.S. athletes, it’s also fun to see how athletes do from other countries. The Chinese divers are amazing. The Australian swimmers are incredible. It is also fun for me to see others catch up with track and field. I follow track throughout the years and routinely watch World Championships and even the Diamond League meets. So it’s nice to see some of them on the biggest stage there is.

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There is a ton of Olympics coverage available and I’m not able to get to all of it. However, here are some highlights for me. The shared gold medal between the men’s high jumpers Mutz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi. Tamyra Mensah-Stock’s huge U.S. gold medal win in female wrestling and her infectious joy because of it. The 400-meter women’s hurdles world record by Sydney McLaughlin and the close second by Dalilah Muhammad. Seeing Marie Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica just one more time.

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Though we had to wait an extra year, at least we only have to wait less than a year until the Winter Olympics and a mere three for the next summer games in Paris. I look forward to watching with fans once again. It’s eerie without them.

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And one more thing. The Olympics inspires young people to get active and believe in the power of possibilities. I had a blast last weekend competing in dramatically modified sporting events with my daughter for our own at-home Olympics. Stick distance throwing and rock accuracy throwing were my favorites. Dancing was hers. Just don’t ask for the video of the runner up. Trust me.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.