The end of another Olympic Games can leave us with an immediate sense of loss but also an enduring sense of national pride.
But the sports gala in Paris this month was more than just the number of gold medals on the leaderboard. It was an Olympics Games that highlighted the emergence of young talent and the excitement of niche events.
In the final of the women's freestyle BMX event, Chinese athlete Deng Yawen won the gold medal – the first time China has won a gold medal in the event.
"This was not an easy win after I was injured in the qualifying series in Shanghai," Deng said. "That period was especially difficult to me, and people said my eyes looked dull. But I now feel that all the efforts finally paid off."
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Deng Yawen (center) poses with American silver medalist Perris Benegas (left) and bronze winner Natalya Diehm from Australia after winning gold at the women's freestyle BMX event.
Freestyle BMX – or bicycle motocross – is still gaining traction in China but has become a hit among the younger generations. The Olympic qualification series Deng mentioned, which featured freestyle BMX, breakdancing, skateboarding and rock climbing, was greeted with enthusiasm in Shanghai.
"Deng's medal is very significant for promoting the BMX in China," said Wu Dan, Deng's coach. "And we hope that this exciting sport will attract more people to join us."
Apart from Deng, we also watched other Chinese athletes shine brightly in niche events.
In the men's speed climbing final, Wu Peng achieved his personal best of 4.77 seconds to win silver. In women's breakdancing, Liu Qingyi defeated her opponents to win the bronze medal, setting a new best Olympic performance for Chinese athletes in the event. Skateboarder Zheng Haohao, 12, the youngest athlete at this Olympiad, delivered an impressive performance, despite not making the finals.
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Twelve-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao is the youngest athlete at the Paris Olympiad and a future star of the event.
Chinese athletes also made great breakthroughs in traditional events like swimming and tennis.
Zheng Qinwen became the first Asian to win the women's singles tennis event, saying it was the right time to accept the nickname "Queen Wen" bestowed on her by fans.
"Before this victory, I wanted to be modest and not accept this nickname openly," the 21-year-old said. "Now, I cannot agree more with this moniker because we all know the value of this championship."
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Zheng Qinwen is really a "queen" now after becoming the first Asian to win the women's singles tennis event.
In the men's 100-meter swimming freestyle final, Pan Zhanle won gold with a time of 46.40 seconds, breaking the world record he previously held. It was the first time that a Chinese athlete won Olympic gold medal in the event.
The awesome performance, however, was greeted with some skepticism as well as praise.
Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke posted on Instagram that the world-record win was not "humanly possible – not in that pool, against that field."
Any sour grapes hinting at drug use was groundless, however, since the Chinese swim team received more than 600 doping tests this year.
Pan responded by saying that his gold was "clean" and Hawke could say what he wanted.
"I have undergone more than 50 tests since May last year – all negative," he said, "and everything we eat and drink is under strict control. There is no drug use nor any accidental ingestion or misuse."
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Pan Zhanle has made history for the Chinese swim team and pushed back against any suggestion of drug use.
Fortunately, the overall Paris Olympics were generally friendly, with athletes and coaches cheering achievements regardless of national origin.
Spain's Carolina Marin, who won the gold in the Rio but missed the Tokyo Games due to injury, was forced to give up the badminton women's singles semifinal against China's He Bingjiao because of a knee injury.
He expressed sympathy for her Spanish opponent, and, after winning a silver medal, she carried a pin with the Spanish Olympic Committee logo to the victors' podium and held it up for the cameras.
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He Bingjiao carries a Spanish Olympic Committee badge to the podium to honor her injured opponent Carolina Marin.
The Badminton World Federation later posted on Instagram that it was a "small gesture, big heart."
"First of all, I wish Marin a speedy recovery," He said, "because she has achieved remarkable success on the court and she has already overcome a prior injury, so I believe she will return to the court again. I took the badge on stage in the hope of sharing this glory with her."
A scene from the winners' podium for the women's floor exercise also moved viewers. Despite losing gold, American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles still bowed to successful rival Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.
"It was just the right thing to do," Biles later said in an interview.
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What to do when you lose coveted gold? Superstar gymnast Simone Biles (left) chooses to bow to the winner.
Friendship between individuals can exceed politics, borders and countries. Belarusian athlete Ivan Litvinovich won a gold medal on the trampoline, but due to international sanctions, he could compete at the Paris Olympics only as a "neutral" individual athlete without flag or national emblem.
Seeing that he looked lonely on the podium, Chinese athlete Wang Zisai, who won silver in the event, made his way across a crowd to give Litvinovich a hug.
The Olympic Games are ultimately about sportsmanship, not medal counts. The human spirit is the reason why the Games are beloved by so many.
See you in Los Angeles!
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Ivan Litvinovich with Wang Zisai (left) and another Chinese trampoline athlete, the bronze winner Yan Langyu
