Athletes from around the globe competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11 to witness athletic feats in peaceful competition. Paris took an innovative and sustainable approach to hosting the Olympics, using more pre-existing venues and renewable energy sources. Despite the sustainability plan, many games were successfully hosted, with numerous clips expanding past television and streaming services into social media. Here are the top olympic moments to remember:
Viral Clips
Turkish sport shooter Yusuf Dikeç and South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji went viral in social media over their calm and cool attitudes during the Olympic shooting games, with both sharpshooters winning silver in their respective shooting categories. Dikeç’s nonchalant stance greatly contrasted the other shooters, making him a fun watch. Online accounts and athletes, such as gymnast Mondo Duplantis, mimicked Dikeç’s cold pose. Ye-ji’s steel gaze and specialist eyewear gained her performance the attention of watchers online. These sharpshooters’ admirable coldness during the games made their performances an Olympic highlight.
Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik from the United States became known as the “pommel horse guy” with comparisons to Clark Kent after his calm performance on the pommel horse without his glasses. Watching his performance along with the excitement of his teammates made their team extremely memorable in the 2024 Olympics.
Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen posted a TikTok video rating the muffins he ate during his time at the 2024 Olympics. He later created several TikToks surrounding his obsession with the muffins. His comical videos were extremely exciting, even for those who did not keep updated with the Olympic Games.
Wins and Records
There were 32 world records broken across eight disciplines in the 2024 Olympics. The United States team won a total of 126 medals with 40 gold, 44 silver and 42 bronze. Swimmer Katie Ledecky won gold and holds her world record in the women’s 800m and 1500m freestyle, making her the most decorated U.S. female Olympian. Ever since her Olympic debut at London 2012, Ledecky has consistently won gold in the Olympic games she has participated in.
Team USA won the gold medal during the women’s gymnastics artistic team all-around with a final score of 171.296, beating Italy’s silver-winning team by nearly six points. The inspiring team of Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera showed an outstanding performance that left viewers in awe. Bile’s performance is especially emotional after considering her withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for mental health reasons. Biles leaves Paris as the most decorated gymnast in history, with 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.
Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis set a world record for the ninth time since 2020 with a height of 6.25 meters. As he made the attempt, the entire stadium audience was hoping for a new height in pole vaulting. While he failed his first attempts, the crowd cheered when he broke his own record. Videos of Duplantis breaking the record and excitingly running to hug his girlfriend were widely shared across the internet.
Noah Lyles Reveals He Has Coronavirus
Sprinter Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 100m with 9.79 seconds, just 0.21 seconds off Usain Bolt’s world record. In the men’s 200m final, he won bronze. As he walked off the track, Lyle dropped to one knee, gasping for air. After being given water and getting taken away on a wheelchair, he returned from medical attention with a face mask. Lyles revealed he had tested positive for coronavirus days prior. It was a great shock to anyone watching his bronze-winning performance.
All-Black Gymnastics Podium
The women’s artistic gymnastics floor initially had the first all-Black gymnastics podium, featuring Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade and the United States’ Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. On the podium, Biles and Chiles bowed to Andrade. However, Chiles was later removed from the bronze-winning position after CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) ruled that the judging panel made an error in granting an inquiry made four seconds late by Chiles’ coach. The judging error was devastating for all gymnasts involved.
Closing Ceremony
The 2024 Paris Olympics ended with a light show including French performers. Elegant performances greatly contrasted the thrilling stunts by Tom Cruise and musical performances by Red Hot Chili Peppers, H.E.R., Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg. This was to celebrate that the 2028 Summer Olympics will be hosted by Los Angeles, shown in the Olympic flag handoff to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
