We're Still Holding Back Tears Over These 8 Beautiful Moments of Sportsmanship in Tokyo

Megan Rapinoe was vocal about her disappointment when the USWNT lost to Canada in the Olympic semifinals. When the two teams met on the podium, though, she shared a moment with Canada's Quinn, the first known transgender gold medalist in Olympic history. Rapinoe and Quinn are club teammates on the National Women's Football League's OL Reign, and Rapinoe, an LGBTQ+ advocate, has supported Quinn throughout their journey. "To see someone just living their full life the way that they want to, I always feel like is really inspiring and beautiful," Rapinoe told Insider in March.

Sydney McLaughlin described her relationship with Dalilah Muhammad as "iron sharpens iron." The two best 400m hurdlers in the world push each other to greater and greater feats, and that was put on display in the finals in Tokyo as they crossed the finish line 1-2, with McLaughlin taking home the gold and a new world record. The first person to embrace her afterwards? Muhammad, of course. "There is no bad blood," McLaughlin said. "It's just two athletes wanting to be their best and knowing there is another great girl who is going to get you there."

Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim stole the show in the Olympic field events. The longtime friends were going head to head for a gold medal, the only jumpers left when the bar went up to 2.37 meters. Both athletes failed to clear it, putting them on track for a high-stakes jump-off for the gold — until they agreed to share the medal, the first joint Olympic medal in athletics since 1912. Tamberi roared with joy as the two embraced.

"He is one of my best friends, not only on the track, but outside the track," Barshim said afterward. "We work together. This is a dream come true. It is the true spirit, the sportsman spirit, and we are here delivering this message.

Simone Biles withdrew from most of her finals in Tokyo, but her presence was still felt in Tokyo in the best way. After staying on the floor to cheer on her teammates in the team finals, where the US took silver, Biles made sure to be in the stands for the all-around and event finals to provide even more support. We didn't think we could love Biles any more, but the way she stood up for her mental health and cheered her friends on to medals had our hearts bursting. (Her bronze on beam was pretty phenomenal, too.)