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.
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But how many of those medallists are from right here in Greater Manchester?
Let’s take a look.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
Baltimore Ravens – The NFL team taking flight in the UK
Daisy Jackson
Manchester might soon have a new favourite football team – but it’s not necessarily what you think.
The NFL is becoming increasingly familiar to British sports fans. Games in London have become an annual fixture, American football has found a growing audience across the country, and now one team in particular is building a passionate following here: the Baltimore Ravens.
You may have seen the purple jerseys at watch parties around the UK, or heard fans talking about the ‘Flock’.
But who exactly are the Ravens, and why are so many British fans getting behind them?
To understand the Ravens, you have to go back to 1996.
The city had previously been home to the Baltimore Colts, but the franchise famously relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, leaving behind a huge hole in the city’s sporting identity.
More than a decade later, NFL football returned, when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell moved his franchise to Baltimore (unusually, leaving the Browns name behind in Cleveland, and launching a new franchise in Maryland).
Baltimore Ravens trainingManchester has been hosting Baltimore Ravens watch parties
Baltimore’s new franchise needed an identity, so it was put forward to the fans, who settled on Ravens after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, The Raven. The team’s mascots are also called Edgar, Allan, and Poe.
The Ravens played their first regular-season game in September 1996, beating the Oakland Raiders 19–14.
And they didn’t have to wait long to become one of the NFL’s most formidable teams.
The defining moment of the Ravens’ early history came in the 2000 season.
Led by a ferocious defence featuring future Hall of Famers such as linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Rod Woodson, Baltimore powered through – and then dominated – Super Bowl XXXV.
The MT&T Bank StadiumBaltimore Ravens cheerleaders and mascot
The Ravens had their second Super Bowl triumph 12 years later, when quarterback Joe Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a dramatic victory over the San Francisco 49ers. It was the final game, and a fairytale ending, for Ray Lewis’ legendary career.
If Ray Lewis helped define the Ravens of the 2000s, Lamar Jackson has become the face of the modern franchise.
Drafted in 2018, Jackson quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in American football. He’s arguable the perfect introduction to the sport if you’re discovering American football for the first time.
So, why should Manchester care about Baltimore Ravens? Part of the appeal is the football itself.
The Ravens have traditionally built their identity around toughness and physicality. There is a sense of personality about the franchise too, from the purple colours and the raven imagery to the passionate ‘Flock’ of supporters.
Ravens fans have been gathering in the UK for years, with regional meet-ups and watch parties taking place around the country, including in Manchester. The UK Ravens community continues to organise events where fans can watch games together, whether they’ve followed the team for decades or have only just discovered the NFL.
That’s perhaps the best way to understand the appeal of the NFL in the UK.
You don’t need to fly to Baltimore to experience it. Find a watch party, grab a purple jersey, learn the rules as you go and join the Flock.
Manchester City’s Stadium Tours are back for the summer and bigger than ever
Danny Jones
Manchester City stadium tours are back for summer 2026, with more to see from the home of the Blues than ever, and with 15% off all tickets until the end of August, too.
It’s safe to say that Man City are going through a HUGE period of change right now: embarking on a new era under Enzo Maresca following the dynasty of Pep Guardiola, vast redevelopments of the wider Etihad Campus, a new club hotel, and the expansion of the North Stand – now named after said Catalan coach.
With that in mind, there’s so much new stuff going on over in East Manchester and arguably more of it all happening in one place than we can recall in recent memory, making it the perfect time for Cityzens to return to the famous home ground – indeed, your Etihad debut if you haven’t made one already.
Giving you greater access to areas usually reserved for players and staff only than ever, this exclusive, interactive and virtual tour will take you through the very bones of the storied sporting arena, all the way through to pitchside.
Fans can explore the dressing room and follow in the footsteps of their favourite City players as they walk through the iconic glass players’ tunnel, before walking out into the open air and sitting in the dugout to take in that incredible view.
You can also try out the latest ‘Beyond the Blue Moon’ experience – an immersive VR adventure that sees supporters journey through Manchester City’s past, present, and future.
Following on from Pep lending his likeness, using innovative technology, you can now even have the chance to put your questions to Erling Haaland in the Press Conference Room.
There aren’t many teams on the planet that offer this level of stadium tour, let alone just here in the UK, so it’s no wonder they remain award-winning almost every single year.
Whether you’re a lifelong City fan, a football lover or visiting this wonderful place we call Manchester for the very first time, there’s something for everyone.
For instance, with The Medlock Hotel and accompanying Medlock Square already lining up its maiden events, the City Football Group (CFG) are once again committing to make the wider Etihad Campus an all-year-round entertainment destination.
That being said, plenty of people online have been generating a lot of buzz about the aforementioned Medlock’s new stadium-view rooms since clips appeared on social media.
Pitch view rooms coming to the Radisson Blu Medlock Hotel at #ManCity’s Etihad Stadium. 🤯
As for the tickets themselves, the club have also taken steps to keep the cost affordable.
Standard prices start from just £32 for adults and only £20 for under-16s, with larger family packages available from £60.
BUT, with the 15% discount mentioned earlier, adults currently cost just £27; kids go for just £17, and those family passes start from just £51.
You can find all the options when it comes to stadium tour passes and grab the type of admission that suits you right HERE.
Speaking of tickets, City have also been met with praise for the introduction of new discounted seats for local residents; find out all the details below.
The Manc -
9th August 2021 
