The beloved American gymnast Sam Mikulak flipped off the parallel bars, stuck the landing and blew a kiss toward the camera. Those watching the men’s Olympics gymnastic competition on television back home knew they’d seen magic. In arenas across Tokyo, athletes accustomed to feeding off the deafening roar of the crowd are searching for new ways to feel Olympic enthusiasm. It barely feels like an Olympics to him, he said, but when he stuck that landing and heard his own team cheering, that felt like enough. "Normally, coming into the finish line, when qualification is on the line, it's deafening," said U.S. women’s rower Michelle Sechser.

Source: Fox News July 26, 2021 23:26 UTC