The Paris Olympics 2024 have finally concluded after a 15-day fiesta for sports fans from around the world. Like every Summer Games, the 2024 edition presented countless thrillers, heartbreaks and history-scripting moments that will be etched in history. With a few days removed from the historic 2024 Summer Games, let’s look back at some of the biggest moments from the Paris Olympics.
10 big moments from Paris Olympics 2024
Just in Time
One of the most popular events at the Olympics, the 100m sprint, presented one of the most exhilarating finishes in Summer Games history. The centre-piece of this nailbiting thriller was American sprinter Noah Lyles who took first place with an incredible time of 9.79 seconds which kept him just five-thousandths of a second ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, making it the closest finish in modern history.
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Algeria’s Iron Woman bashes bullies
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif took home gold after not only beating her opponent but also destroying the “attacks” and “bullying” she faced through the Paris Olympics. After defeating Angela Carini in 46 seconds, the Italian boxer accused Khelif of not being a woman. This triggered a massive backlash with countless individuals harassing the Algerian on social media with misinformation about her gender. But Khelif battled these trolls and her opponents to take gold after defeating Yang Liu of China in the final.
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Marchand stamps “Vive la France”
One of the few athletes who made the Paris Olympics his own was hometown hero Leon Marchand with a dominant performance through the Summer Games. The French swimmers asserted dominance in the swimming event by winning four individual gold medals and one relay bronze. But the moment that immortalised Marchand as a legend was when 20,000 people sang his songs and chanted his name during the Men’s basketball semi-final which featured greats LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
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Avengers Assemble
The Paris Olympics were made special for basketball fans thanks to the USA men’s basketball team that comprised the best American talent that has dominated the NBA for years. In the backdrop of Noah Lyles’, ” World Champions of What?” comments, LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant came together to form the basketball Avengers and ran through the world to win their fifth consecutive gold medal at the event.
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High five for Cuba’s Great
Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez created Olympic history at the Paris Games as he became the first athlete to win five consecutive individual golds in the same event. With this monumental feat, Lopez pipped the records of Olympic icons like Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps. The 41-year-old capped his historic achievement with a heartfelt gesture as he placed his shoes in the centre of the mat and retired as one of the greatest wrestlers in history.
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Djoker’s Golden Slam
Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Novak Djokovic entered the Paris Summer Games with one goal and one goal only of winning an Olympic gold to finally complete his very own Golden Slam. After coming agonisingly close on multiple occasions, Djoker brought his dominant best at the Phillipe Chartier and took down greats like Rafael Nadal to reach the knockouts. Then in the final, Djokovic took Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz to win the elusive gold medal and etch his name in the history books.
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Nadeem’s Double World Record
Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem broke the Olympic record twice in the final to win Pakistan’s first individual gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games. In a field full of world-class throwers, Nadeem took centre stage as registered a throw of 92.97m to seal the gold and then a 91.79m throw on his sixth attempt to establish himself as one of the greats of the sport.
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Biles says “Don’t Call It A Comeback”
American gymnastics legend Simone Biles returned to action three after she was forced to withdraw from all but one of her Olympic finals due to the twisties. Marking her return, Biles stamped her name as one of the GOATs in her sport as she produced one of the great Olympic performances. Competing across nine days, Simon Biles won three gold medals and a silver.
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Phogat’s Dream Run to Heartbreak
After fighting for young wrestlers in India, Vinesh Phogat took down the undefeated World and Olympic Champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the first round. In her proceeding bouts, Phogat defeated the best of the world in Ukraine’s Oksana Livach and Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba to reach the final. But before the gold medal match, Phogat was disqualified from the event after missing the weight by 100 grams. Since then she has appealed for the silver and awaits the decision for a historic medal.
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The name’s Dikec. Yusuf Dikec
Creating the most viral moment of the Paris Olympics 2024, Yusuf Dikec and his minimalistic demeanour ruled social media through the Summer Games. The Turkish shooter grabbed everyone’s attention as he took the silver with standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually tucked in his pocket. Dikec earned comparisons with John Wick with his pose which became a iconic celebration for athletes around the world.
