The Tokyo Olympic Games might be coming to a close, but the future is bright for these little athletes.
After watching Caeleb Dressel win the 100m freestyle, a 3 1/2-year-old named Ben re-created the swim at home in Nashville.
"He went around our house gathering the full outfit — swim trunks, goggles and swim cap," mom Tori Erxleben told TODAY Parents, adding that Ben even had a "warm up" outfit complete with mask, shoes and a zip-up sweatshirt. "He's been loving cheering for USA and watching swimming, water polo and women's soccer."
But American kids aren't the only ones vying for the podium.
Over in the United Kingdom, 7-year-old Olivia O'Neill was filmed by her dad as she pretended to be an Olympic weightlifter.
Two "Mini Olympians," Lexie and Jack, practiced their backyard bar work while cheering on Team Great Britain.
And Joey, donning a "Thomas the Tank Engine" sleep suit, worked to perfect his vault routine.
Because of strict COVID-19 protocols, no spectators were allowed at this year's summer Olympic games in Japan, which meant all families — even those of competing athletes — were forced to watch from home.
"It is regrettable that we are delivering the Games in a very limited format, facing the spread of coronavirus infections," Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said ahead of the opening ceremonies on July 23, 2021.
But the silver lining of no in-person spectators meant that people across the world could enjoy family-hosted watch party moments together.
No one was more excited when 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby clinched gold for Team USA than her family and friends, who were watching in Alaska.
“I haven’t really watched it in detail yet, but there’s definitely some of my best friends in the front there,” Jacoby told TODAY's Savannah Guthrie, noting that she recognized multiple people in the clip. “We all grew up together, so it means a lot they’re here supporting me. We did this together.”
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