Tokyo Olympics: five golden performances on home soil including Lin Dan, Neymar and Michael Johnson

Name: Hong Kong’s most successful Olympics ever as swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins silver at Tokyo 2020
Uploaded: 2021-07-27T00:30:15.000Z
Duration: 5 min 25 s
Description: Hong Kong’s most successful Olympics ever as swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins silver at Tokyo 2020

Winning a gold medal is one thing, winning gold on home soil is an entirely different level of accomplishment

Four athletes and the most famous football team of all-time have brought glory with iconic performances in their own backyards

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China’s Lin Dan winning gold on home soil in 2008. Photo: AFP

Patrick Blennerhassett

Published: 8:30am, 27 Jul 2021Updated: 8:54pm, 28 Jul 2021

Naohisa Takato captured Japan’s first medal at Tokyo 2020, beating Taiwan’s Yang Yung-wei in the final of the men’s 60kg judo before breaking down in tears in an empty Nippon Budokan arena, the legendary martial arts and concert hall.

Takato’s win surely would have been much more pronounced if the venue was filled with fans, but it was still an incredibly emotional moment.

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Hong Kong’s most successful Olympics ever as swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins silver at Tokyo 2020

Winning gold on home soil brings about a heightened sense of achievement, as athletes become the best on the planet in front of friends, family and their fellow countrymen.

Here are five from recent Games that brought a fairy tale feel to storybook endings.

Atlanta 1996 – Michael Johnson – 200m and 400m

The American sprinter doubled up when it came to records and gold medals on home soil. Wearing his famous golden Nike shoes, he became the first (and only) 200m and 400m double gold in Olympic history. He also smashed the Olympic record for the 400m, and the world record in the 200m in the process.