Topline
Some Olympians are taking sibling rivalry to new levels at this summer’s Games, as brothers and sisters compete against each other in individual events like gymnastics, while others play on the same teams or cheer each other on from the sidelines.
Key Facts
Japan’s Uta Abe and Hifumi Abe made history Sunday when they became the first brother-and-sister duo to come out on top in individual Olympic events on the same day—the siblings both took home gold medals in judo.
Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova, the 16-year-old twin gymnasts competing for Great Britain, will go head-to-head Thursday after qualifying for the all-round individual gymnastics finals, coming in 9th and 11th place during Sunday’s preliminaries, respectively.
American fencers Courtney and Kelley Hurley went viral on TikTok by showing followers the room they share at the Tokyo Olympic Village—it’s the third Games they’ve been roommates for, and Courtney has never managed to keep her side clean, she joked.
Austria’s swimming sisters Anna-Maria and Eirini Alexandri will compete in their second Olympics together in a synchronized swimming duet, while their triplet Vasiliki, also a synchronized swimmer, is not competing in this year’s Olympics.
Americans Kristie and Samantha Mewis are the first sisters to ever qualify to play on the U.S. women's soccer team together during an Olympics, and both sisters play the midfielder position.
For Ateş and Deniz Çınar, who sail for Turkey, this summer’s Olympics will be their fourth sailing together—they competed as a duo in the 2008, 20012 and 2016 Games.
Key Background
This summer’s Olympic Games are underway after a year-long postponement over the coronavirus pandemic. Dozens of athletes have been forced to pull out of the competition after testing positive for the virus. Unfortunately for the sets of siblings, the pandemic restrictions in place mean their families are barred from watching the athletes compete in-person. Videos of Olympians’ families celebrating from afar have gone viral online.
Further Reading
Meet The Oldest Olympians Competing At The Tokyo Games (Forbes)
Meet The Youngest Olympians Competing At The Tokyo Games (Forbes)
