The Most Memorable Moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympics definitely delivered a spectacle that will be remembered for a long time, with athletes pushing their limits, breaking astonishing records and delivering so many unforgettable moments. The City of Light itself did not disappoint either, especially when it comes to the choice of the sporting venues - from holding the marathon swimming in the Seine to building the boxing ring on a court at Roland Garros - the locations definitely added an extra layer to the uniqueness toof this year’s Olympics.

For the last few weeks we have been following the Olympics and sharing the highlights with you via our Instagram but as it is officially over and as we say Au revoir to Paris and start getting excited about LA Olympics 2028, we wanted to share with you the most memorable moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics according to us. 

Simone Biles' Triumphant Comeback 

After taking a step back from competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to focus on her mental health, Simone Biles made a captivating comeback in Paris. We watched in awe as she showcased her talent and resilience, winning gold in the team all-around, individual all-around, vault, as well as winning silver and balance beam on floor.  events. Biles’ performance not only solidified her status as the greatest and most decorated gymnast of all time but also highlighted the importance of mental health in sports. We also love how she modeled sportsmanship, giving Rebecca Andrade (Brazil) who won gold on floor, her “flowers” at the podium in what has become an iconic photo from this year’s olympics.That’s why she is the GOAT. 

The Rise of Teenage Phenoms

The Paris Olympics saw the emergence of several incredible teenage stars who took the world by storm. Japan’s Yoshizawa Coco, only 14, dominated the skateboarding street park event while Australia’s Arisa Trew, 14, won gold in skateboarding park., Summer McIntosh, aged 17, became Canada's first triple-gold medalist in a single Olympics by winning gold in the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and 400-meter individual medley, and Polish 20-year-old Julia Szeremeta claimed silver in the final of the women's 57 kg boxing competition. Nothing like Quincy Wilson, 16, joking about his return to school in a few weeks after winning gold in the men’s 4x400m relay. These young athletes were seriously inspirational and demonstrated that there is in fact a future for sport which makes us happy!

It’s Never Too Late to Follow a Dream

While the younger ones made their debut, we also can’t forget about those that followed a dream in their later years. 58 year old Zeng Zhiying made her olympic debut for Chile in table tennis after she wasn’t selected to represent China for the LA olympics in 1984, Jimenez Cobo, 65, represented Spain in the equestrian event, as well as Australia’s Mary Janna, 69.The US Women’s Basketball team took home gold, and one of their players, Diana Taurasi, 42, is nine years older than the next oldest teammate. Even if all these athletes didn’t make it to the podium, we still commend them for going after their dream no matter what age they are. 

Breakdancing Makes Its Olympic Debut

The 2024 Games marked the debut of breakdancing, officially known as "breaking," as an Olympic sport.It has been the first dance sport to make an appearance at the Olympics. It was a bold move that seems to pay off and it certainly added a dynamic new dimension to the Games and attracted younger audiences. Unfortunately, it seems like it will not be returning in 2028 (squash will be making its debut then though so prep your rackets!).

Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who has gone viral

Turkey's very own action man - Yusuf Dikec, went viral on social media after he was pictured competing in the air pistol mixed team event with his seemingly laid-back attitude, standard pair of glasses and his non-shooting hand casually tucked into his pocket. Even though he looked like a regular guy competing at the Olympics, he did impressively (and casually) shoot his way to a silver medal and was emulated by various athletes across the Games. 

Vaulting his way into history

Right before Swedish Modno Duplantis made his third attempt at breaking his own record in pole vaulting , we had pretty much lost hope. His two previous attempts were a miss, but the final try saw him launching into the air, soaring over the bar with inches to spare and setting up a new world record and becoming the first pole vaulter to clear 6.22 meters, which is absolutely INSANE. 

This event was arguably the most dangerous event of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it wasn’t even in Paris. 

Surfing made its olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, but this year this olympic event was located in the French territory of Tahiti, almost 10,000 miles away from Paris. The waves here are a reef break, which makes for dangerous conditions with the rocky reef just below the surface, along with large, heavy waves. Many know the waves of Teahupo’o are some of the most dangerous in the world, with swells up to 20 feet, but many also know it’s an honor to be able to surf them. Contending with mother nature, the weather conditions even caused part of the competition to cease until better conditions returned. Many surfers ended up with scrapes, cracked helmets, and concussion checks, but luckily no serious injuries occurred. Caroline Marks (USA) and Kauli Vaast (France) took home gold in this fearless competition. 

The Emotional Farewell of Legends

The Paris Olympics also saw the final Olympic appearances of several legendary athletes who decided that it was time to bid adieu and hang up the boots. Legendary tennis player Andy Murray posted a mic drop of a tweet after his final international tennis match at the Olympic quarter-finals announcing that he will not be returning. Additionally, Brazilian soccer legend Marta, often called “Pepe in skirt”, has already announced the Paris Olympics will be the last major tournament of her international career. She is a six-time Fifa World Player of the Year and was competing in her sixth Olympics.

Olympic Firsts at Paris 2024

This year’s Olympics saw quite a few athletes who won their first-ever medals for their nations making it an unforgettable event for their countries. Julien Alfred won St. Lucia its first medal ever, in the women’s 100m, running 10.72 seconds to take home gold whilst sprinter Letsile Tebogo took home Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal for men’s 200 meters. Thea Lafond claimed Dominica’s first-ever (and gold!) medal in the women’s triple jump. Adriana Ruano won gold in trap shooting becoming the first female medalist of Guatemala.

It’s never too late to start something new

Kristen Faulkner proves it’s never too late to start something. She didn’t grow up cycling, but decided to take a beginner cycling class in Central Park, New York. She didn’t even have her own bike, and had to borrow a friend’s. She fell in love and would spend several hours every morning cycling in the park. She started racing competitively in 2020 and this year she earned a spot on the USA Olympic team because another member dropped out to focus on other things. Not only did she end up winning gold by a long shot, she also was able to lead USA to victory after a 40 year drought of winning the women’s road race. So the next time you are afraid to try something new, just think it could become your next big move.

Some other notable accomplishments

• Sifan Hassan (Holland), becomes the first athlete in 72 years to take home a medal in the 5000m, 10,000m, and marathon events. 

• The Olympic refugee team took home their first

• medal, with boxer Cindy Ngamba, winning bronze. 

• Julien Alfred won St. Lucia it’s first medal ever, in the women’s 100m, running 10.72 seconds to take home gold and sprinter Letsile Tebogo took home Botswana’s first ever Olympic gold medal.

• Gymnastics had its first all-black podium, with Rebecca Andrade (Brazil) winning gold on floor, while Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of USA took home silver and bronze, respectively. Even with the current mess unfolding of who is rightfully awarded bronze, it was still a historic moment to celebrate. 

• Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria) beat his own world record by just 1 kg (224 kg) in the men’s 89 kg clean and jerk. His overall total came in at 404 kg which broke the previous record of 196 set by Li Dayin (China). 

• Tom Watson (USA) set a record in speed climbing of 4.74 seconds in the bronze-medal match, while Aleksandra Mirosław (Poland) completed her speed climb in 6.06 seconds, breaking her own world record of 6.24 seconds. 

• Léon Marchand (France) swam the 200m individual medley in 1:54.06 to claim his fourth gold medal, breaking the previous olympic record of 1:54:23 set by Michael Phelps (USA).or his fourth gold in Paris, breaking Michael Phelps’ Olympic record of 1:54.23 set at the Beijing Games in 2008.

• Nada Hafez (Egypt) competed in fencing while seven months pregnant,  and Allyson Felix who is an 11-time olympic champion, launched the first-ever nursery at the olympic games. 

There were some incredible moments from this year’s summer olympics. There are many more great stories that we didn’t get a chance to discuss either. While we’re sad the olympics are over, don’t forget to tune in to the Paralympics starting on August 28th!