TOKYO, Japan — Tokyo 2020 has come to an end, wrapping up just over two weeks of events from the best athletes from around the word.
The delayed Olympic Games had to be pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The athletes showed up and didn't disappoint, including those with ties to Georgia.
Here's a look at five key moments in the Olympics that had Georgia connections.
A tale of 2 comebacks | Elija Godwin's Olympic debut
Elija Godwin's Olympic debut is one he will probably never forget.
The track and field athlete's dream came true after a near-death experience.
While doing back sprints on a seemingly ordinary day in track practice in 2019, Godwin fell onto a javelin.
The spear pierced through his body, between his ribcage, through his lung and inches away from his heart. As his body lost oxygen, his heart rate dropped and he coughed up droplets of blood.
Laying on the gurney, he reassured his mom he was going to be ok. The University of Georgia athlete was right. He got the chance to race in the qualifying round of the mixed 4x400m relay, coming back to the sport he loves.
But that moment came with a complicated turn of events.
When it was time for Godwin to pass the baton from the first leg of the race to Lynna Irby for the second leg, Irby's placement was "outside" of the zone allowed for the handoff. But Irby was where officials placed her. An appeal led to reinstatement. While Irby and Godwin didn't race in the final, Team USA came back to win a bronze medal. While Godwin and Irby didn't run in the final, they both get a medal for competing in the qualifying round.
Godwin was born in Covington, Georgia and attended Newton High School. Irby an Indiana native, attended college at the University of Georgia, Team USA's website shows.
1-2 | UGA takes first two medals in Olympics for USA
In swimming, Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland went 1-2 for the U.S. in the 400m individual medley. Both, who attended the University of Georgia, brought home the first medals for Team USA.
Kalisz’s gold was also the first for a Georgia man in an individual event in program history, according to the school.
19-year-old Nevin Harrison makes history in women's canoe racing
Women's canoe racing made its debut in Tokyo 2020. The gold medal winner of the women's 200m canoe sprint went to a 19-year-old from Seattle, Washington who trains at Lake Lanier in Georgia.
Canoeing as a competitive sport captivated Harrison when she was about 11, during summer camp.
Watch her win the gold medal below.
Former UGA Bulldog Shaunae Miller-Uibo put in one of the sensational runs of the Tokyo Olympics, racing to gold in the women's 400m final.
She successfully defended the title she won by diving across the finish line against Allyson Felix in Rio in 2016– this time winning in much more comfortable fashion.
Miller-Uibo came in nearly a full second– 0.84 seconds– ahead of Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic.
Allyson Felix was in the same race and came in third place to take home the bronze medal.
It was Miller-Uibo who provided the electricity with a run that immediately became the sixth-fastest women's 400m in history. She was representing the Bahamas in the Olympic Games.
Pole vaulter Katie Nageotte clinches the gold
Pole vaulter Katie Nageotte brought home an Olympic gold medal for Team USA. Nageotte, who trains at the Atlanta Track Club, finished with a 4.90 and launched herself from third to first place.
It almost appeared that her Olympic journey was over with two failed pole vault attempts, according to NBCOlympics.com.
The Ohio native told the TODAY show she honors her late father by writing "dad" on her instep of her spikes. She taps them before the competition. He did when she was a teenage from a heart attack.
This was Nageotte's Olympic debut. Going into the Games, Nageotte was ranked fourth in the world.