The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were a spectacle of athletic prowess and international camaraderie. While every event offered its own unique thrill, some stood out as particularly popular among spectators and athletes alike. Here's a recap of some of the most incredible moments from the Games.
The aquatic center at the Paris Olympics was a hub of excitement from day one, with swimmers breaking records and captivating audiences. The individual medley events, freestyle sprints, and butterfly races were among the most hotly contested. In men's swimming the US kicked off its Paris Olympics campaign with a dominant victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Team USA, consisting of Jack Alexy, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, and Chris Guiliano, secured their third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the event with a time of 3:09:28, setting a new Olympic record. Dressel, now with eight Olympic gold medals, is on the brink of surpassing Mark Spitz for the second-most career golds in swimming. That would put him right behind the most decorated Olympian all time, Michael Phelps.
US female swimmer Katie Ledecky had a remarkable performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She secured her fourth consecutive gold medal and eighth individual gold medal (an all-time record for women) in the 800-meter freestyle, and also defended her title in the 1500-meter freestyle, setting a new Olympic record. Additionally, she contributed to the 4x200m freestyle relay team, winning a silver medal. Ledecky's impressive achievements have solidified her status as one of the greatest female swimmers of all time, with a combined 24 individual titles at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships. She also received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom this year, the highest civilian honor for a US citizen, for her accomplishments as an American athlete. This is the US equivalent of an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in Britain which was established after World War 1 to recognize significant achievements in the arts, sciences, public service, and now sports.
The gymnastics competitions showcased incredible flexibility, grace, and precision. The women's balance beam and vault finals were especially thrilling, as athletes performed daring routines. US gymnast Simone Biles in particular, achieved incredible milestones at the 2024 Olympics. Even before the Paris Games started, Biles submitted a new skill for the code of points for the uneven bars, which would make her the only female gymnast to have a skill named after them on every apparatus. She became the first American woman to win both the Olympic all-around and vault titles, a feat that had not been accomplished since Věra Čáslavská's triumphs in 1964 and 1968. She went on to win 3 gold medals, 1) the vault, 2) the individual all-round event and 3) the women's team event (as one of the affectionately named "Golden Girls"). Her remarkable achievements have solidified her status as one of the greatest gymnasts in history. With an impressive collection of 11 Olympic medals in total and 30 World Championship medals, she stands as the most decorated gymnast of all time in the history of the sport. Prior to Paris Simone Biles, like Ledecky, also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her sporting accomplishments.
Basketball is a global sport, and the Olympic Games provide a stage for the world's best teams to compete. The men’s basketball tournament was a remarkable event that was one for the history books. The United States team including LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, claimed its fifth consecutive Olympic title in the French capital, extending a winning streak that began at Beijing 2008. In the final match Curry stole the show in the fourth quarter, delivering a masterful performance that propelled his team to victory. With the game on the line, Curry was virtually unstoppable, sinking clutch shots from beyond the arc with seemingly effortless precision. His 24 points, including eight three-pointers, and five assists were instrumental in securing the win for Team USA.
Tennis is another sport with a massive global following, and the Olympic Games offer a unique opportunity for players to compete for their country. The singles and doubles finals were filled with intense matches and dramatic moments. The 2024 Olympic men's singles tournament was a thrilling spectacle that captivated tennis fans worldwide. The draw promised a potential epic showdown between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, two of the sport's greatest rivals. While this dream match didn't materialize (they played each other in Paris, but it was very one-sided), the tournament still delivered plenty of other drama and upsets. Djokovic, the reigning Olympic champion, faced a stern test from Carlos Alcaraz, the rising star of Spanish tennis. In a grueling final that lasted nearly three hours, Djokovic prevailed, securing his second Olympic gold medal and completing a career "Golden Slam" (ie winning each of the 4 Grand Slam events plus an Olympic Gold). This historic victory in Paris solidified Novak's status as, by most accounts, the greatest tennis player of all time.
Track and field events always draw a large crowd, and the Paris Olympics were no exception. The 100-meter dash, long jump, and marathon were particularly popular, with athletes pushing their limits to claim gold. The US sprinters did well, as they always do. US sprinter Noah Lyles, the reigning world champion in the 200 meters, defied expectations to win the gold medal in the 100 meters at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Despite battling COVID-19 in Paris and being forced to withdraw from his favored 200-meter race, Lyles delivered a stunning performance in an agonizingly close race (photo finish pictured above), setting a new personal best and securing the first 100-meter gold for the United States since 2004. The really exciting thing about this is Noah is young enough and showed he has the talent to win on the world stage at each of the 100 and 200 meter races. If he adds the 400 meters to his repertoire and does well in LA, his name will go down in history alongside the likes of Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, and Carl Lewis.
Gabrielle (Gabby) Thomas is a talented American sprinter who also currently specializes in the 100 and 200-meter races. She achieved remarkable success in Paris. Thomas represented Harvard University in college before embarking on a professional track career in 2018. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Thomas won a bronze medal in the 200 meters and a silver as part of the women's 4x100-meter relay. Surpassing her previous Olympic achievements, she won three gold medals in Paris 2024. She clinched the gold medal in the 200-meter race at the 2024 Paris Games, setting a new personal best time of 21.83 seconds. Additionally, Thomas contributed to the U.S. team's victories in the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays, solidifying her status as a dominant force in the world of sprinting. The US is lucky to have her as she could have easily chosen to run for Jamaica, as she has a citizenship option there too through her family ties.
These were just a few of the many popular sporting events at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Games were a celebration of human achievement and a testament to the power of sport to unite people from around the world. In 2028 the Games return to Los Angeles for the third time in their history. At the Paris closing ceremony Los Angeles native Tom Cruise joined the celebrations to welcome the Olympics to their future venue. Cruise delivered a spectacular and daring performance by skydiving into the Stade de France, rappelling down from the stadium, and then motorcycle-riding through the crowd. To conclude his unforgettable appearance, in true Mission Impossible style, Cruise miraculously skydived back to Los Angeles and transformed the famous Hollywood sign with the Olympic rings. If this was anything to go by, LA 2028 is going to be a heck of a spectacle. NBC, and Tom Cruise, will make sure of it.
