Au revoir Paris. Last night, the 2024 Paris Olympics drew curtains with a glitzy closing ceremony with Tom Cruise making a swift entrance on a bike. A tapestry of unforgettable moments, etched in Olympic history, dazzled the world during the sports ceremony. And as they say, not everything is about winning. This year, we witnessed stunning displays of athletic prowess to some of the most heartwarming acts of sportsmanship on the podium.
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Paris, with its iconic backdrops from each of its corners and vibrant enthusiasm, served as the perfect stage for a series of standout performances and heartwarming stories. As we look forward to the 2028 LA Olympics, let’s look back at the best moments from this year’s remarkable event.
1. Manu Bhaker’s bronze
The 22-year-old Indian Olympian clinched India’s first medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, striking bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol final at the Chatearoux Shooting Centre. The athlete brought home the glory after a wait of 13 years in the category.
2. Mondo Duplantis’ gold win and PDA with his girlfriend Desire Inglander
Where’s the trophy? He just comes runnin’ over to me; Taylor Swift definitely wrote this for them. Mondo from Sweden won a gold medal in the pole vault, setting a world record. However, it was his celebration that made everyone go aww. Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, Duplantis sprinted to the stands, embraced, and planted a powerful kiss on his girlfriend Desire Inglander.
3. Gymnasts Biles and Chiles bow to Andrade
With the first-ever all-black gymnastics podium in Olympic history, the women’s floor final created history. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade clinched gold ahead of United States duo Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, who showed their sportsman spirit by bowing down on the podium to Andrade.
4. The Turkish shooter
Yusuf Dikec, a Turkish shooter, gained massive popularity for his laid-back, no-glasses technique during the competition, which helped him win a silver medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event. His shooting pose became highly popular during other ceremonies as well.
Türk’ün gururu Yusuf Dikeç Dünya markası oldu. 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/e38u0xWbzy
— Altay Türkyılmaz (@YzbAltay) August 8, 2024
5. Pakistan’s first gold medal after 32 years
After a wait of long thirty-two years, Pakistan got a gold medal in the men’s javelin throw with Arshad Nadeem’s magnificent performance. While his first attempt resulted in a no-throw, his second throw of 92.97 meters set an Olympic record.
6. Gabriel Medina’s majestic picture
He was a fairy? One of this year’s finest Olympic photos belongs to surfer Gabriel Medina. The surfer was trying to turn things around for the better this time around against Kanoa Igarashi, who defeated him and went on to win silver at the Tokyo Olympics. Halfway around the world from Paris, on Day 3 of the surfing competition in Tahiti, the Brazilian surfer not only defeated the Japanese competitor, but he also did it in part because of an almost flawless 9.90-scoring wave. The wave had the greatest score in the history of the Olympics.
7. Sha’Carri Richardson truly nailed it
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Richardson didn’t just bag the gold in the women’s 4x100m relay; she made sure everyone noticed her fierce nails as she flew towards victory. That iconic sweat-wipe gesture? Pure swag, turning her gagworthy nail art into the moment we’ll all be talking about.
8. Novak Djokovic wins his first Olympic gold medal
Novak Djokovic took home his first Olympic gold medal at age 37, beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling and evenly matched men’s tennis singles final.
9. Imane Khelif’s historic gold in boxing
Imane Khelif, from Algeria, defeated Yang Liu of China on Friday to bring home the welterweight gold medal. But for her, it was about her triumph over a barrage of questions from opponents who questioned her gender.
10. Cindy Ngamba’s bronze medal for the refugee Olympic team
Lastly, a historic moment which gives us hope for a better future for refugees. Cindy Ngamba took home the first-ever medal for the Refugee Olympic Team in the women’s 75kg boxing semi-final! Her bronze is a victory for all refugees.
