It may not be possible to catch all the best moments in a single day of the Olympic Games—but we’re going to try. Every day, we’ll award titles for standout achievements at (and around) Rio 2016, achievements that may or may not be recognized on the podium (and may or may not even be of an athletic nature).
Here are our picks for Day 6.
Gold for double gold medals goes to…
Penny Oleksiak and Simone Manuel.
Oleksiak continued her ascent to superstardom by winning Canada’s first gold of Rio 2016 and she did so in dramatic fashion. Oleksiak and Manuel tied an Olympic record time of 52.70 seconds and both stood atop the podium with gold around their necks.
Ties for gold medals are extremely rare at the Olympics. In fact, this was just the ninth time it has occurred. It happened in Sochi two years ago when skiers Tina Maze and Dominique Gisin both won gold in a downhill event – at the speeds they’re travelling at it’s crazy to think a tie would ever occur. Prior to that you have to go back to 2002 when Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier won gold in the pairs’ figure skating competition alongside Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia.
There was a judging scandal and controversy attached to the Salé and Pelletier double gold but it was all smiles for Oleksiak and Manuel on Thursday.
“This is amazing, to tie for a gold,” Oleksiak told reporters in Brazil. “I never thought I’d win a gold. [Manuel] deserves it as much as me. It means so much.
Gold for having the tools to become a future UFC champion goes to…
Kayla Harrison.
The 26-year-old became the first American judoka to win two Olympic gold medals. She was the first American to win judo gold at London 2012 and on Wednesday defended her 78-kilogram division crown with a beautiful armbar victory over France’s Audrey Tcheumeo.
Ronda Rousey was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo when she earned bronze at Beijing 2008. She transitioned into mixed martial arts in 2010 and by 2013 she was a UFC superstar.
Harrison has drawn comparisons to Rousey for several years now and they’ve got a history. The two used to train together under Jimmy Pedro and even competed against one another. This is them back in 2005 (with Rousey in white and Harris in blue).
In addition to their tremendous talent, both women had to overcome hardships growing up. Rousey’s father committed suicide when she was eight years old, while it has been well documented that Harrison was abused by her former judo coach, Daniel Doyle, when she was a young teenager – Doyle was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Harrison recently told SB Nation’s Guilherme Cruz she has received offers from several MMA promotions and that transitioning into a new sport is a possibility for her. “Obviously, MMA is something that I’m considering,” she said. “It could potentially be a very lucrative career for me.”
After defeating Tcheumeo, the Middletown, Ohio native confirmed she is retiring from judo. She has no immediate plans to try MMA but if Rousey’s success in the sport is any indication, Harrison has all the tools to do well. There have been numerous Olympians compete in the UFC over the years, including active fighters Daniel Cormier, Dan Henderson, Sara McMann, Yoel Romero, Hector Lombard and 2008 gold medallist in freestyle wrestling Henry Cejudo.
(Photo credit: Jae C. Hong/AP)
Gold for best cold as ice line goes to…
Daniel Nestor.
Nestor and his doubles tennis partner Vasek Pospisil lost their semifinal match to the Spanish duo of Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez in two tightly contested sets but it was umpire Emmanuel Joseph who stole the spotlight. A pair of controversial line calls from Joseph contributed to the Canadian loss and Nestor ripped into him.
Nestor is 43 so these Games will in all likelihood be his last. He won Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000 with then-partner Sebastien Lareau, but the way Thursday’s loss unfolded has left a bad taste in his mouth. Nestor and Pospisil take on Jack Sock and Steve Johnson of the United States in the bronze-medal match Friday.
Gold for best caddying goes to…
Ray Whitney.
Yes, the former NHLer is participating at the Olympics. He’s assisting Canadian Graham DeLaet during the golf event. DeLaet shot an opening round 66 (five under par), so Whitney’s presence in Rio is off to a good start. DeLaet’s regular caddy Jules Trudeau decided not to travel to Brazil over concerns about the Zika virus, which is what led to Whitney getting the opportunity.
“[Whitney] did great out there,” DeLaet said via Luke DeCock of the News & Observer. “We had a lot of fun. He kept me nice and loose. We had a good time.”
Gold for best premonition being one step closer to fulfillment goes to…
Arthur Biyarslanov.
The 21-year-old Canadian boxer won his opening bout in the men’s light welterweight (64kg) tournament. Biyarslanov earned a unanimous decision victory over Jordan’s Obada Alkasbeh.
You can learn all about Biyarslanov in Jeff Simmons’ Person of Interest profile and one thing you’ll learn is that being a 2016 Olympic gold medallist is something he’s been dreaming about for years.
Biyarslanov is set to take on Germany’s Artem Harutyunyan Sunday in the Round of 16.
Gold for living up to lofty expectations goes to…
Simone Biles.
Small in stature, colossal in competition. The 4-foot-8 gymnastics superstar was expected to win gold in the women’s individual all-around event and she did just that. Watching Biles do her thing truly is something else.
This girl has some serious hops.