The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have finally come to a close this past weekend.
It may have been postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but after over two weeks of thrilling, inspiring, and in some cases record-breaking sporting action, the iconic event proved to be pretty successful Games for Great Britain, with Team GB finishing in fourth place on the international medals table.
A whopping 65 medals in total were claimed by Team GB athletes, with 22 of those being gold medals.
If a top five place in the medal rankings wasn’t an impressive enough achievement as it is, what sets Team GB apart from every other nation is the number of sport-discipline combinations the country medals in, as medals were won by Team GB athletes in 25 different sports, which breaks the record of 23 set at Rio 2016.
The North West also came out on top as having the most medals and medallists, with 21 medallists hailing from the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
But how many of those medallists are from right here in Greater Manchester?
Let’s take a look.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
Gold
Jason Kenny
Cycling | Bolton
Track cyclist Jason Kenny becomes most successful Team GB Olympian of all time / Credit: Twitter (@TeamGB)
The undeniable stand-out star of Tokyo 2020 is none other than track cyclist Jason Kenny from Farnworth in Bolton, who has become both the most successful and the most decorated Team GB Olympian of all time after winning a stunning seventh gold medal of his career in the men’s keirin final on Sunday 8 August.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kenny, 33, has now secured podium finishes at four separate Olympic Games events since 2008 – winning seven golds and two silvers in team sprints, sprints and keirin events.
He also bagged himself a silver medal in the men’s team sprint at the Games.
James Guy
Swimming | Bury
Bury-born swimmer James Guy was another Team GB multi-medallist at Tokyo 2020, claiming gold in the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay victory alongside Tom Dean, Duncan Scott and Matthew Richards, and another gold in the mixed 4 × 100m medley relay alongside Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, and Anna Hopkin – which also set the world record time of 3 minutes 37.58 seconds.
He added the two golds to a personal trophy cabinet that already contained two silver medals from Rio 2016.
ADVERTISEMENT
Georgia Taylor-Brown
Triathlon | Tameside
Yet another multi-medallist is Manchester-born triathlete Georgia Taylor-Brown, who first claimed a silver in the women’s triathlon under difficult conditions and despite suffering a flat tyre on the last cycle lap.
She then went on to become an Olympic champion, bagging a gold medal in triathlon mixed relay alongside Jessica Learmonth, Jonny Brownlee and Alex Yee.
James Guy and Charlotte Worthington / Credit: Twitter (@TeamGB)
Charlotte Worthington
BMX Freestyle | Chorlton
One of the most talked-about and jaw-dropping achievements from Tokyo 2020 was when Chorlton’s Charlotte Worthington not only claimed gold in the women’s BMX Freestyle, but also becoming the first woman in history to land a 360-degree backflip in competition.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 25-year-old’s inspiring story saw her go from being a former cook working 40 hours a week in a Mexican restaurant, to Olympic glory.
Stuart Bithell
Sailing | Rochdale
34-year-old Rochdale sailer Stuart Bithell already had a silver medal to his name from London 2012, but alongside partner Dylan Fletcher, he claimed a dramatic men’s 49er gold medal at Tokyo 2020 by narrowly edging out Germany and New Zealand.
The pair won Team GB’s first ever Olympic gold in this discipline.
Matt Walls
Cycling | Oldham
ADVERTISEMENT
More cycling success for Team GB came as 23-year-old Oldham-born track cyclist Matt Walls claimed two medals at Tokyo 2020, first bagging a gold medal during a dominant performance in the men’s omnium with a total of 153 points, before securing a silver medal in the Madison alongside Ethan Hayter.
Not bad for his first Olympics, right?
Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Taylor-Brown / Credit: Twitter (@TeamGB)23-year-old Oldham-born track cyclist Matt Walls claimed two medals at Tokyo 2020 / Credit: Twitter (@TeamGB)
Silver & Bronze
Keely Hodgkinson
Athletics | Atherton
At just 19 years old, Atherton’s own Keely Hodgkinson took home a silver medal in Tokyo 2020 after she took almost two seconds off her PB and almost six seconds off her 2020’s PB with a time of 1m 55.88s.
Hodgkinson broke the 1995 Kelly Holmes’ British senior record and a European U20 record, becoming the fourth fastest under-20 woman of all time.
ADVERTISEMENT
Josh Bugajski
Rowing | Cheadle Heath
Seasoned rower Cheadle Heath’s Josh Bugajski was one eighth of Team GB’s men’s rowing team, who put up a good fight during a thrilling race to take took home a well-deserved bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.
Featured Image – Twitter (@TeamGB)
Sport
Jack Grealish dedicates first league goal in 16 months to late brother on anniversary of his death
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Jack Grealish held back the tears following his first Premier League goal in more than 16 months, but not in relief after breaking the duck, because it came on a very emotional day for him and his family.
The Man City and England midfielder opened the scoring in the Blues’ 2-0 win against Leicester City on Wednesday night, bringing an end to his goal drought after a total of 473 days.
But what made it even more special is that the game happened to coincide with the anniversary of his late brother Keelan’s death.
Speaking in his post-match interview after picking up the man of the match award, Grealish was in a noticeably quieter mood than his usual charismatic self before revealing that the day marked the 25th anniversary of his younger sibling’s death.
Jack Grealish dedicates his goal to his late brother on the 25th anniversary of his death ❤️ pic.twitter.com/u3toaqZSuR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 2, 2025
The 29-year-old went on to reveal that the date coincided with Keelan’s passing and acknowledged that it’s “hard on the family but [I’m] happy to score”.
His mum and dad, Karen and Kevin, were up in the stands; it doesn’t need explaining why scoring in that particular moment was so special for all of them.
Clearly stirred by addressing what was a bittersweet occasion, he signed off by adding, “To score and to win was brilliant.”
Keelan Daniel Grealish was just nine months old when he tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) back in 2000 – ‘Super Jack’ was just four at the time.
Paying tribute on social media after the game, the comments below his post were filled with love and support.
Besides the goal itself, the former Aston Villa star was keen to reiterate that he was never brought to the club to score bags of goals and “has a lot more to offer” than just hitting the back of the net.
Touching on his Grealish’s game and the tribute to Keelan during his post-match duties, manager Pep Guardiola went on to add: “Jack is an incredible human being; in terms of gestures and for the other people, he’s incredibly generous.
“I didn’t know that [it was the anniversary of his brother’s death]. I can’t imagine how tough it could be for mum, dad, sister, and all the family. It’s good on this day to remember him, I’m pretty sure they remember every single day.”
A lovely moment from a much-loved character around the Eithad Stadium as well as up and down the country. Rest in peace, Keelan.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Three more points on the board for City and a big moment for the Brummy-born midfielder.
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Marc Skinner signs new contract to keep him at Manchester United until 2027
Danny Jones
Manchester United Women manager Marc Skinner has signed off on a new deal with the Red Devils, accepting a contract that will see him stay at the club until at least 2027.
Approaching half a decade in charge of Man United’s women’s team, Marc Skinner has now committed his future to the side which helped the club to a historic male and female FA Cup double and qualified for Champions League for the first time.
Confirmed via social media on Wednesday, 2 April, the club shared the news that the 42-year-old has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with an option to extend for a further 12 months.
His side is also currently third in the WSL, and although Chelsea remain the perennial favourites, they are continuing to push harder for the title each season following their second-placed finish in 22/23.
Speaking on the new deal, Brummy-born Skinner wrote: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as head coach for this fantastic football club for the past four years, and I am delighted to be extending my time in the role for at least a further two years.
“We’re building a young, hungry team with the aim of challenging consistently for further trophies. There is still more hard work ahead, including this season, but the players and staff have already shown their determination to succeed, and I’m looking forward to us taking the next steps in our journey together.”
The former Birmingham and Orlando Pride head coach has been a somewhat divisive figure around Leigh Sports Village and Old Trafford during his tenure in recent years, with some vocal supporters even calling ‘Skinner Out’ last year.
He was ultimately kept on following the 4-0 thrashing of Spurs in the Women’s FA Cup, but many fans are still unhappy with the amount of progress made under him.
In addition to a lack of silverware throughout his time in charge, with many criticising his tactics, star talents like Alessia Russo, Mary Earps, Nikita Parris, Lucía Garcíaand captain Katie Zelem have all departed during this time. Others just haven’t felt the same since Casey Stoney left back in 2021.
Even gave him a photoshoot. Right wrong on not a significant part of the fan base hates Marc skinner. It’s tone deaf to assume we all celebrate on socials. I would turn the comments off tbh. https://t.co/VIarfUAkoJ
Nevertheless, Marc Skinner is staying for the immediate future, and there are still plenty who back him and the work he’s done, or at least the direction he is looking to go in.
Speaking on the extension, United‘s technical director Jason Wilcox said: “Marc’s record since taking charge speaks for itself, having delivered our first major women’s silverware and firmly established us among the leading teams in the WSL.
“After a major overhaul last summer, we have an exciting, developing squad ready to compete for further success, and we are convinced that Marc is the right coach to lead that process.”
COO Collette Roche went on to insist that “building a successful and popular women’s team is an important part of our wider, football-first strategy for the club” and that they hope Skinner will continue to contribute in placing “Manchester United at the forefront of growth in the women’s game.”
The Manc -
9th August 2021 
