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Career & Education Debt Education Financial

Is It Better To Finish College Faster Or Debt-Free?

Is It Better To Finish College Faster Or Debt-Free?

A college degree is a significant investment in your future, but no one wants to be saddled with student loan debt for the rest of their life. There are ways to finish your college education faster, but the cost of tuition can add up quickly. As you prepare to choose your college, it’s important to ask yourself: is it better to finish college faster or debt-free?

Working Through College To Be Debt-Free

One of your options to finish college with less debt is to work full-time while you attend classes part-time. If you’re supporting a family or already in a steady employment position, this can be a great option. However, attending school part-time means you will be in school longer, which can mean higher tuition in the long run.

To decide if this is the right option for you, consider how your earning power will increase once you graduate with your degree. Will the costs of attending full-time be offset by the increased income? If you have a lot of financial responsibilities, this might not be a factor as you have to meet your other financial obligations instead.

Applying for College Scholarships

If you qualify for scholarships and grants, you could attend school full-time and graduate faster without racking up student loan debt. There are so many scholarships out there that could help in whatever situation you’re facing, so before taking out student loans, be sure to search for scholarships you may qualify for.

Ask everyone you know if they’re aware of any scholarship opportunities or take your search online to any of several college scholarship search sites to figure out if you’ll qualify for any free money.

Taking Out Student Loans

Of course, if you don’t qualify for a scholarship or grant, you always have the option to take out student loans to cover your college expenses without working. Attending school full-time is expensive, but it also means you’ll graduate more quickly and can start earning more money faster.

If you can’t feasibly work and attend college, consider increasing your course load to graduate faster. Reduce your expenses by living as cheaply as you can and working during the summer to reduce the amount of money you have to borrow each year.

Finding a Balance

So, is it better to finish college faster or debt-free? There’s no single right answer. Some students have a hard time trying to work while attending college, so they’ll work over the summer and save money to balance out the amount of money they have to borrow. Other people have financial obligations to meet outside of school, so they work full-time and attend classes part-time or over the summer instead.

Finding the right balance for your needs is crucial, and a lot of it will depend on your major, your expected income, and how much you end up having to borrow. No matter which option you choose, make sure to follow a college budget and keep your expenses down.

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Career & Education Education

Benefits of Going Back to School Later in Life

Benefits of Going Back to School Later in Life

Going back to school as an adult is very different than if you attend college straight out of high school, but it doesn’t have to be scary or daunting. In fact, there are many benefits of going back to school later in life! Thanks to your age, you’ll have more experience and knowledge to apply to your college education. Here are some advantages to going back to school as an adult:

Career-focused Education

Whether you’re looking into going back to school to switch careers or advance your current career, the education you receive as an adult is typically focused on your job field. Having professional experience to apply to your school is a huge benefit, as you can tailor your classes to match your career goals. Centering your education around your chosen career ensures you’ll be spending your time and money wisely, which isn’t always the case when attending college right out of high school.

Refine Your Skills

Refining your skills, whether they’re professional or personal, is one of the most common reasons why people return to school. Maybe you want more in-depth knowledge of a subject or there’s something you’ve always wanted to learn about. Now that you know what you’re interested in and what your areas for improvement are, attending college can help boost your desired skillset.

Personal Growth

As you grow older, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are by focusing on your family, job, and other responsibilities. Returning to school gives you the opportunity to focus on yourself again by exploring your interests and finding new passions, along with giving you a break from being the teacher or mentor yourself.

Earn More Money Through Education

Maybe you already have a great job, but you aren’t getting as much money as you could be in your field. Many jobs require a degree to advance or earn a higher income, which can earn you exciting new opportunities and the chance to land higher-paying gigs.

Professional Networking For Going Back To School

When you attend school with other adults, you can learn from them and expand your professional network. Studying with other students can help deepen your own learning as well as encourage you to connect with peers in your career field.

Flexible Courses

College courses for adult learning are typically more flexible since the professors know you have other responsibilities to deal with outside of school. They tend to be more balanced in terms of coursework and your home life, so you don’t have to worry about spending too much time on one or the other.

Final Thoughts

Going back to school as an adult can be an exciting and rewarding experience. For many people, it’s a chance to refine their skills, change careers, or earn more money, but it can also result in benefits like professional networking and personal growth. Regardless of your reason for returning to school, it’s a decision that can greatly benefit you in the long run.

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Financial Real Estate

Single-Family Rents Rise Most In At Least 16 Years

Single-Family Rents Rise Most In At Least 16 Years

Rent on single-family homes rose by 12% from December 2020 to December 2021, which was more than three times the previous increase. It was the largest year-over-year increase since the CoreLogic Single-Family Rent Index started tracking rental data 16 years ago, and while the index growth managed to slow over last summer, rent growth is still higher than pre-pandemic levels when compared with the data from 2019.

What is the Single-Family Rent Index?

CoreLogic’s Single-Family Rent Index, or SFRI, tracks changes among single-family rental homes using a repeat-rent analysis to measure the same properties over time. According to the SFRI, there were record increases in both low-price and high-price rental properties, which contributed to the overall gain.

Single-Family Rent Growth by Price Tier

Rent costs for the low-price tier, which is defined as properties with rent less than 75% of the region’s median rental price, increased 8.3% last year, up from 2.4% in 2020. High-price rentals, which are defined as a property with rent prices greater than 125% of the region’s median rental price, rose 11% last year, up from 2.8% the previous year.

Growth by Property Type

During the pandemic, more renters chose to live in standalone properties in lower-density areas. A detached property is defined as a free-standing residential building, as opposed to an attached property type such as a duplex, townhouse, or condo. Rent growth on detached rentals increased 12.2% last year, compared with only 7.8% for attached rental properties.

Growth in Metro Areas

Of the 20 metro areas shown in the SFRI report, Miami had the highest year-over-year rent growth with 25.7%. Phoenix followed at 19.8%, then Las Vegas at 15.9%. These likely increased due to tourism returning to normal as pandemic restrictions lift.

Chicago showed the lowest rent increase at only 2.8%. Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York also showed low rent growth of under 5%.

Why is it rising?

More and more people are in the market for rentals as consumers continue to get priced out of buying a home. Many families can’t afford to pay the increasingly high asking prices for the low inventory of homes for sale, so they resort to renting a single-family home instead.

Although 93% of consumers believe that owning a home is a good investment, competition in the housing market forces more buyers to remain renters instead. Single-family rental units are the most popular choice since people want more space for their families, and as the labor market improves, the demand for larger single-family homes will grow as well.

Since occupancy rates are at a record high, rentals will keep rising in price and may become more difficult to find. Rental unit vacancies have practically disappeared since when one renter gives notice to move out, another renter swoops in to take over the unit. Gone are the days when rental units are available, so rental owners can charge more due to increased demand.

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Career Career & Education

7 Work Hacks To Implement This Year

7 Work Hacks To Implement This Year

If you have the motivation and will to succeed in your new job, then all you need is guidance. Sometimes, work can get very exhausting and overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to do your level best. There is no need to stress out if you feel like you’re falling behind. Continue to read further below and go through some of the work hacks you must implement this year.

1.    Formulate a Work To-Do List

If you have a lot to take care of at work, prepare a to-do list. This way, you won’t miss out on any tasks and will feel a sense of achievement once you check each item off your list.  Try making your to-do lists as attractive as possible.

2.    Choose what’s important and what’s urgent

To narrow down which task to complete first, allocate which ones fall under important and urgent. Start by giving more importance to urgent tasks. Then, you can start moving on to the important ones. You can draw out a diagram and start plotting all your tasks in it.

3.    Switch Off Your Notifications When At Work

Our phones are one of the biggest distractions whether it comes to working, studying, or reading. When working, you need complete focus, and unless you want to be distracted by who commented on your Instagram post, it is best to switch off notifications. This will give you time to concentrate on work, so you get everything done much faster.

4.    Enable Email Batching

If you’re bound to get countless emails, then you should try out email batching. This will allow you to read and respond to emails at a given time frame. So you can read about two to three emails per day at particular intervals. With this method, you’re not constantly checking your inbox, allowing you to work and worry about other things.

5.    Create Templates

If you have a repetitive job that requires you to do the same tasks again and again, start creating templates. This will help you save so much time and ensure consistency. For example, if you have to keep sending the same response to certain emails, or give it the same contracts, keep these templates ready as they will make life at work so much easier.

6.    Make Time for Yourself Outside of Work

As much as you need to get work done on time, it’s important to remember that breaks are important. This means taking a day off and engaging in something relaxing and refreshing. This could be going to the gym, dinner, or a spa day with your best friend. If you have a hectic job, you need to keep yourself maintained to take the workload.

7.    Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is a way of time management that sets a specific amount of time on how long you work and when to take a break. This technique is very effective for those who have jobs where you have to constantly sit in one place.

Takeaway

With the help of these work hacks, you can easily complete any work task you want, no matter how difficult you might find it. All you have to be is confident and make use of these hacks.

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Health & Home Home Improvement

6 Easy Styling Tips to Pull Your Bedroom Together

6 Easy Styling Tips to Instantly Pull Your Bedroom Together

If you spend most of your time in the bedroom it needs to be relaxing, practical, and comfortable. It should reflect your personal style. Adding anything generic in the bedroom will eliminate a sense of personality. Therefore, you should pull your bedroom together according to your personal style.

1.     Add a Comfy Rug

A large area rug will bring every element of your room together. Whether you include an area rug in your living room or bedroom, it adds warmth and coziness to the space. Thus, a comfy rug is a top priority in the bedroom. Imagine getting off from bed in the morning during winter and landing on a warm rug. Your feet will be thankful for that. Besides coziness, the rug also creates a contrast, brings definition, and adds dimension to the room.

2.     Place a Headboard Above Your Bed

If you have a mattress on the floor, you should add a stand-alone headboard. The headboard creates an eye-catching focal point in the home and adds additional texture to the room. Also, it gives a finished look to the room. Whether is rustic wood or tufted velvet, the headboard is important in the bedroom.

3.     Add a Large Mirror

Every day you wake up in the morning and start your wardrobe and beauty routine in the bathroom or closet. Thus, you think that these sections of your home require a mirror. But, the mirror plays an important role in your bedroom’s appearance as well. Having a large mirror in the bedroom will make your room look brighter and larger. Also, the light reflecting the mirror adds a hint of glamour to the room.

4.     Layer Your Bed Properly

When layering your bed, you should always focus on the pattern you love. Never consult a catalog as a reference for matching pillows. The easy way to master pattern and color coordination is to choose a primary and a secondary color. The pillow should match the foot blanket or the curtains. If you repeat two to three colors in your bedroom, it will make the room look pulled together.

5.     Improve Lightening In Your Bedroom

Bedroom lighting plays a major role to create space in the room. If you have more than one single lamp and more light fixtures, you can enhance the overall style of the room. If you have little space on the table, you can consider hanging pendants and wall-mounted sconces.

6.     Install Fabric Curtains

Curtains are the important décor item in your bedroom that connects your room together. If you install a blackout curtain in your home, it will provide more privacy. But, your bedroom will look like a dark cave. Thankfully, you can choose from fabric options for curtains. These curtains add the texture of color and layer to the room.

Conclusion

Following the above-mentioned styling tips to pull your bedroom together, you can bring coziness and warmth to the bedroom. These tips will make your walls, floor, and bed pop with textures and colors. Also, you can follow these tips for small as well as large bedrooms.

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Career & Education Education Financial Government Grants

What Is A Pell Grant? How to Get Your $6,495.

What Is A Pell Grant? How to Get Your $6,495.

The Federal Pell Grant program is the largest student aid program in the U.S. It provides grant money to the country’s neediest students to help them attend college. It also does not need to be repaid. With tuition constantly increasing, many students aren’t sure how to pay for college, but the Pell Grant can help alleviate those concerns.

If you qualify for a Pell Grant, you can receive up to $6495 to put towards your college education. Qualification is based on financial need. It also includes factors like your family’s assets, your college’s cost of attendance, and how many children in your family are attending college.

What are the requirements?

Before you can apply for a Pell Grant, there are a few basic requirements you must meet. You must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen, such as a permanent resident
  • Hold a high school diploma, GED, or approved home-school certification
  • Have a valid Social Security Number
  • Be registered with Selective Service if you’re a male between 18 and 25
  • Be accepted to an eligible certificate or degree program

Federal Pell Grants are typically awarded to undergraduate students working toward their first college degree, but students in select post-graduate teaching programs may be eligible as well.

How do you apply?

Your first step toward seeing if you qualify for one is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. You’ll need to fill out your FAFSA every year to determine your continued Pell Grant eligibility, so make sure to fill it out as soon as you are able to.

How much student aid can you get?

The maximum award for a Pell Grant is $6495 per school year, but you may not receive the full amount. The Federal Pell Grant is not an all-or-nothing program, and you can receive anywhere up to the maximum award amount depending on how much you qualify for.

You can only receive one Pell Grant per year, and Federal law limits you to receiving six years of Pell Grant funding. This means that you can receive up to the full reward amount every year for a total of six years.

What can this money pay for?

Aid from a Pell Grant can be used to pay for qualified educational expenses. These include:

  • Your college tuition
  • College-related fees like health centers, computer labs, etc.
  • College textbooks and supplies such as paper, binders, safety glasses, etc.
  • On-campus room and board or off-campus living expenses
  • Costs for daycare or other dependent-care expenses

When will you receive your money?

Once your FAFSA has been processed, you’ll receive your financial aid award letters and can start to compare offers. Federal Pell Grants, if you qualify, are paid out through colleges, so your school will let you know when and how you’ll be paid. Some schools apply the money directly to your tuition, some cut you a check, and others do a little of both.

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Health & Home Recreation & Leisure

13 Cheap Hobbies You Can Start Right Now

13 Cheap Hobbies You Can Start Right Now

Do you want to educate, grow, and entertain yourself at home by introducing cheap hobbies in your life? If yes, then you are at the right place. Here are 13 fulfilling and entertaining hobbies that you can start right now:

1. Gardening Hobby

Gardening can be entertaining as well as therapeutic. Spending your time with plants and watching them grow is a fulfilling activity. Also, you can buy cheap seeds from the gardening store and start planting in your home or the backyard.

2. Learn New Things

When you educate yourself with something that you are passionate about, you can stay happy. Learning all alone is not a boring activity. Make a list of topics that interest you and start searching about them on Google. For instance, if you love the history of wars, you can watch videos and read eBooks and write them in a journal.

3. DIY For A Cheap Hobby

Get a DIY book from the nearest bookshop and start fixing your home. You can find DIY books on a specific area of interest such as electrical or woodcraft books. Also, you can make and design clothes and gift your friends. With DIY activities you can learn new skills and improve your home.

4. Scrapbook Important Events

Scrapbooking helps you arrange your thoughts and memories. You can attach pictures from a memorable holiday, friend, or school year.

5. Learn How to Cook

There are many websites and YouTube channels with free cooking courses. It is a useful life skill and an incredible way to spend your time. Cooking ingredients are a cheap and great investment to learn a new skill.

6. Start Budgeting For A Cheap Hobby

Managing your finances can be a great hobby. You can create your budget, cut off extra expenses, and enhance your savings. By saving money you can follow your dreams and travel across the world.

7. Yoga Hobby

Mastering yoga positions improve the mind and body. Also, it is a low-cost sport that you can practice at home. You can watch YouTube videos or buy a DVD for beginner to advanced tips.

8. Learn To Dance

You can enjoy your free time by learning new dance moves. Many YouTube channels teach a wide range of dancing styles. You can choose the one you love and start practicing.

9. Learn Origami

Origami is a low-budget and beautiful art. You can learn to create beautiful decorations for your home. It might look difficult, but once you get the hang of it, you can create incredible decoration pieces.

10. Reading

Reading is a great exercise to articulate your thoughts. Depending on the genre, you can connect with the fictional world, read autobiographies, or solve mysteries and crimes. You can visit your local library or buy low-cost books.

11. Writing Hobby

Writing is an incredible and cheapest hobby. It requires a pen and a paper to write your thoughts. If you know how to write, you can start blogging or write a book.

12. Watch Online Documentaries

YouTube contains thousands of documentaries on hundreds of topics such as wildlife and history. You can watch documentaries about your favorite musician, author, or actor.

13. Photography Hobby

If you love photography, you can make it a cheap hobby. This doesn’t mean that you have to purchase an expensive camera. You can use your smartphone to take pictures and post them on your Instagram. There are various YouTube channels to learn photography and editing tools.

Conclusion

Depending on what cheap hobbies you choose, you can improve your mental and physical abilities. You can choose from the above-mentioned hobbies according to your interest and enhance your skills.

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Career Career & Education

The First Thing To Do When Becoming a Manager

The First Thing To Do When Becoming a Manager

Are you excited to become a first-time manager? There are a few things that you should follow as ground rules. When you have a team to manage, you can easily make mistakes. The key to success is to realize and prepare for the mistakes beforehand. Here are some tips for new managers so they can succeed and set an example for their team.

1.     Always Research

Walking into the first day blinded can be embarrassing. You have to stay prepared and understand your new role before joining. Learn your training opportunities and keep your head clear. If you have tools and resources from the new manager’s training program, go through it multiple times. Also, read HR documents and manuals and understand the business process. When you are aware of the company before starting the first day, you can make a good first-time impression.

2.     Shift Your Focus

Many new managers struggle to shift their focus. They cannot understand their new role and help people with their tasks instead of performing their job. Keep in mind you have to prepare your team to perform the tasks. Also, your focus should be to achieve team goals. Thus, you have to prepare a team that can handle tasks according to their capabilities.

3.     Manage Relationship Shifts

If you got a promotion in the same company you were working for before, you have to understand the power shift. This can be uncomfortable since you were already closer to your team before. But, it is important to succeed as a team. You must forget closed-door chats and one-on-one after-dinner drinks. That way, you can equally treat your team members.

You need to separate your work relationship from friendships. If your friends can’t understand the relationship shifts, you should honestly explain. They may not agree, but you have to make things clear for the success of your team.

4.     Set Clear Goals

When your goals are clear, you can focus on your employees and handle tasks. Becoming a manager is a tough job with extensive tasks. You can focus on your goals by removing subjectivity while considering performance reviews.  

5.     Stay Consistent

When you have to boost the confidence of your team, you must stay consistent with your decisions. Change in decisions will loosen your team morale. Also, never let emotions rule your decisions. Emotional control will help you become consistent. Another thing that helps to improve consistency is patience. Don’t make rapid decisions. Instead, take a coffee and make informed decisions.

6.     Set an Example

When you are a manager your team will look at your action. They will see how you behave. They will learn to tackle challenges from you. So you shouldn’t complain about your boss and deadlines and spew personal opinions. You need to be the master of the game.

Conclusion

When you have clear goals, appropriate research, and consistency with decision-making, you can become a successful manager. Keep in mind that you have a team to manage, if you let your emotions control your decisions, you will let your team down. So, follow these steps and set an example from the first day.

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Financial Government Grants

6 Steps To Apply For Medical Assistance Grants

6 Steps to Apply for Medical Assistance Grants

Apply for medical assistance grants.  Step by step tips, tricks, and strategies for approved grant applications.

There are many grant opportunities available.  Although, grant applications are highly competitive, most of the opportunities to receive medical assistance grant funding are right at your fingertips on the worldwide web. Here are some grant funding tips that you should consider in your search:

Plan and be alert.

Keep in mind grant organizations go through levels of analysis. The first level is to throw out as many proposals as possible.  Why? Because there is usually only one winner per grant, making the pre-selection stage a process of elimination.  Every medical assistance grant proposal does not make it to the end, and these organizations can receive thousands of applications. So carefully plan for your proposal, or your grant can be thrown out even for simple mistakes.

Find the right opportunity and ensure your eligibility.

Don’t do all that work for nothing. If you have not done your eligibility research beforehand, your grant proposal will likely be sent back to you. This is why ensuring you meet the requirements is an extremely important step in your search for Medical Assistance Grants. View Sponsored Listings.

Read the directions carefully and apply for the grant.

Follow the very specific grant application directions closely, as medical grant directions must be followed precisely to be considered for acceptance. Every grant type has its own set of special directions, so be sure to abide by those listed as you apply. Either keep the directions open in another window, or print them off to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Study other grant proposals that have won and been approved.

Locate this public information by searching for sample grant applications online. There are many great resources for Medical Assistance grants, and all you have to do is track them down online and study the writing approach of other winners in the field. Start by searching for “grant application samples” and then refine your search based on the results.

Don’t sweat the minor details.

If you do not have a particular requirement that the grant is asking for (e.g. you have 5 sq. ft. and the grant wants 10 sq. ft.) apply for it anyway. The reason for this is because one quarter of the people applying for the same grant probably do not have all the requirements either.  Nevertheless, they quickly find the needed support once the grant is approved.  This is especially true for bigger money grants.  If you do not have exactly what the grant asks for, don’t worry. You won’t necessarily be disqualified.

Find local support.

Go to your local organizations, including city and state entities, and let them know what your situation is. Often times they have access to databases, foundations, etc. that you won’t find in a normal Google search. They are there to help people in your shoes, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. That is what they do!

Types of Medial Assistance Grants

  1. Research
  2. Small Grant
  3. Scientific
  4. Academic Enhancement
  5. Exploratory and Developmental
  6. Clinical
  7. Small Business
  8. Education
  9. Philanthropic

Of the many medical assistance grant opportunities available there are some factors to process.  Here we have provided the 6 Major Steps to Apply for Medical Assistance Grants.  Apply for your medical grant with these step by step tips, tricks, and strategies and get your first approved grant application.

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Media Tech & Media

The 9 Best Moments Of The Tokyo Olympics

The 9 Best Moments Of The Tokyo Olympics

From 23rd July to 8 August 2021, the Tokyo Olympics took place with a year delay because of a pandemic. But, considering the health emergency and strict protocol the organizers didn’t allow any audiences.

Best Moments from Tokyo Olympics

Here are 9 best moments of the Tokyo Olympics that you should know:

1.     History Made by Elaine Thompson-Herah

The Jamaican sprinter, Elaine Thompson-Herah became the first woman to win 100-200m at consecutive Olympic Games. No woman succeeded in defending the 100m and 200m titles. Because of her consistent win, she became the undisputed sprinting queen.

2.     Memorable Skateboarding Competition

Skateboarding is an exciting game that is made up of the Olympics. This is good news for many skateboarders. It was a refreshing and fun-to-watch game without tantrums and egos. The first winner of the skateboarding game was the local Yuto Horigome.

3.     Prolific in the Pool

Caeleb Dressel rules the pool games. He had 12 total swims in six different events and won five gold medals. He became the fourth male to make such record-breaking wins, after winning gold medals in five Olympics events. On the other hand, Emma McKeon won seven gold medals, which include four gold medals.

4.     Felix Makes History

Allyson Felix is an American sprinter who won another gold medal. She is one of the successful women in the Olympics with one bronze, three silvers, and six gold medals. People are comparing her with Carl Lewis’ 10 Olympics medals, which is a record.

5.     Tears of Joy

Tom Daley waited a long time to win an Olympics gold medal. Since his first dive in 2008, he managed to win this time. He stood atop the podium with Matty Lee and celebrated the win. Daley is now an Olympics champion after 16 years of struggle.

6.     Canada’s Victory

Canada defeated the US to become the number one team in women’s football. When Julia Grosso made her winning penalty kick, the team flocked to her with joy. Also, Quinn is now the first non-binary, trans athlete to win a gold medal.

7.     Magic Zverev

Alexander Zverev became the best tennis player by winning the men’s singles gold medal. He is the first German player to win a singles tennis gold medal. His win at the Tokyo Olympics was the best moment of his career.

8.     New Pool Queen

Australian athlete, Ariarne Titmus won the women’s swimming in both 200m and 400m freestyle swim. After her 400m won, her coach, Titmus had an incredible reaction. Also, she won a silver medal in the 800m swimming competition.

9.     Sharing the Love

Mutaz and Gianmarco sharing the gold medal were one of the touching moments of the event. After two hours of high jump final, both managed to clear 2.39m. Before announcing their shared win, Mutaz Essa Barshim inquired with the officials whether they can share the medal and they said yes.

Conclusion

Although Tokyo Olympics was an incredible event and a dream comes true for many athletes, these are some outstanding moments that inspired many people.