Top 10 Best Moments From The 2024 Paris Olympics

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The 2024 Paris Olympics are in the books and it was a thrilling two weeks of competition and sportsmanship.  There were highs, lows and WTF moments abound over the last two weeks.  Here are the best moments from the summer Olympics.

1. Simone Biles Cements Her G.O.A.T. Status

The summer Olympics always seem to be broken up into two parts: gymnastics/swimming in Week 1 and track & field in Week 2.  The unquestioned star of Week 1 was Biles, who at age 27 racked up three more gold medals and a silver, pushing her career total to 11 Olympic medals and securing her spot as the greatest American gymnast of all-time.  Biles took home gold in the team, vault and uneven bars and won a silver for floor.  If this is it for Biles (and all indications are that it is) she left it all on the line and is truly an American Olympic icon.

2. Steph, LeBron Lead Team USA To Gold

It was a weird feeling for Team USA heading into the men’s basketball tournament.  There was confidence but also an understanding that the rest of the world was catching up to the USA in terms of talent.  Whether it was the narrow escape in exhibition play against South Sudan or the thrilling comeback against Serbia, there were some reason for concern.  But in crunch time Steph Curry and LeBron James flexed their collective muscles time and time again and led Team USA to a gold medal victory over France.  It was likely the last Olympics for both men and seeing how much each game meant to both showed that country pride still means a lot to them and it was a treat to watch. 

3. Cole Hocker Shocks The World In 1500M

One of the more improbable results was Cathedral’s own Cole Hocker taking the gold in stunning fashion in the men’s 1500-meter race.  Hocker was not considered a favorite heading in but dug down deep and pulled off the stunning win.  The Indy native’s lone event meant he went all out and it showed.  Hocker kicked off the second week of the Olympics with a bang.

4. Leon Marchand Puts France on His Back

Leon Marchand entered the Paris Olympics with the weight of his home country on his shoulders.  He left the Games with the crowd in the palm of his hand.  Every time Marchand competed the building seemed to shake with cheers and applause.  He lived up to the hype and then some.  Marchand took home four gold medals (200 breast, 200 fly, 200 medley and 400 medley) and also took home a bronze in the 4×100 medley.  At just 22, he still has plenty of time to rack up every more Olympic hardware.

5. Noah Lyles: The World's Fastest Man

Noah Lyles won the most hotly contested finish in all of the Games, the men’s 100-meter race. Lyles edged Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five-thousandths of a second, using his chest to cross the finish line.  It was the first USA win in the event since 2004.  He also took home bronze in the men’s 200-meter before having to exit the Games due to a positive COVID test.

6. USWNT: New Faces and Names, Same Result

It was supposed to be a transition year for the USWNT.  No Alex Morgan, no Megan Rapinoe, coming off the disastrous exit in the World Cup.  And yet, the women reigned supreme once again as they topped Brazil in the gold medal game, 1-0 thanks to Mallory Swanson’s decisive goal in the second half.  Have they regained their magic?  For now, the answer is yes.

7. Chris Guiliano & Company Win 4×100

Another Week 1 thriller took place in the pool when Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano, Caeleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong an Jack Alexy teamed up to take gold in the 4x100m freestyle final, just missing out on a world record in the process.  Finishing 1.04 seconds behind the world record was still plenty of time to take home the first gold medal for the United State at the Paris Olympics. 

8. Sha'Carri Richardson Flies As USA Captures 4x100m Gold

In an absolute thriller, the USA women captured gold in the 4x100m relay final.  The US was in third place when Gabby Thomas handed off to Sha’carri Richardson and Richardson bolted past the competition, giving a memorable glance over as she took the lead and crossed the finish line on a rain-drenched track.  It was Richardson’s first gold medal and the 24-year old will look to add more to her collection in 2028.

9. Lilly King's Last Stand

In what she says was her final Olympics, Lilly King went out a champion.  The Indiana University alum helped capture gold in the 4x100m Medley Relay.  King, Gretchen Walsh, Reagan Smith and Torri Huske pulled out all the stops to secure the victory.  King, who earlier in the games came .01 seconds short of a podium finish in the 100m overcame the heartbreak and ended up securing her third career gold medal.  If this is truly the end, it’s been a hell of a run for the 27-year old.

10. The Oddities Around The Olympics

Whether it was the bizarre performance by Australia’s B-Girl Raygun (pictured above) in the first (and hopefully last Breaking competition in the Olympics) or Turkish shooter Yusef Dikec’s casual wear and nonchalant demeanor (James Bland, as the internet described him) or the pommel horse king Stephen Nedroscik, there were so many notable names and stories we wouldn’t have heard about if it weren’t for the Olympics.  The Opening Ceremony drew plenty of eyes and opinions, there was Bob The Cap Catcher, the pole vaulter whose own “pole” kept him from medaling, the Canadian soccer spy story, sprinter Kendall Ellis getting stuck in a porta potty, Snoop Dogg being everywhere, etc.  The list goes on and on.  There were so many memorable and WTF moments that will make me miss the Olympics.  See you in LA in 2028!