Ten Key Moments of the 2024 Olympics
The 2024 Olympics provided many memorable moments, including a colorful, sometimes controversial opening ceremony, boxers caught up in a gender row, and respectful bows on the gymnastics podium.
AFP Sport examines 10 of the best:
Rain during the opening ceremony parade
— Organizers promised a magnificent opening ceremony, and the rain-soaked boat parade on the River Seine made international headlines, but not for the expected reasons.
Church groups, conservatives, and even US presidential contender Donald Trump were offended by a scenario including drag queens and lesbian DJ Barbara Butch that appeared to mock Jesus’ Last Supper.
The artistic director, Thomas Jolly, rejected any such plan. He and those involved were subjected to harsh internet harassment, prompting police to file charges.
Djokovic’s yell of approval
— Novak Djokovic stunned Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling men’s final to win tennis gold and become only the sixth player to complete the Golden Slam, which includes all four majors and Olympic gold.
The 37-year-old let out a yell that rang throughout Roland Garros before rushing into the player’s box to embrace his wife Jelena and two children.
“There is no greater inspiration than representing your country,” stated the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Alcaraz, too, was in tears, alleging he “had let Spain down”.
Biles bows to ‘queen’ Andrade.
— Simone Biles may have been the show’s star, but she was universally commended for bowing to her opponent Rebeca Andrade on the podium.
Biles said it was “just the right thing to do” after finishing second and third in the floor final, behind the Brazilian.
“Rebeca’s so amazing, she’s queen,” Biles stated.
Ana Barbosu of Romania was awarded the bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that Chiles’ initial fifth-place finish should not have been improved.
Lyles arrived barely in time.
— World champion Noah Lyles surged to victory in 9.79 seconds to win gold in a dramatic men’s Olympic 100m final in the closest finish in modern history, with only five thousandths of a second separating him from Jamaican Kishane Thompson.
“I am the man amongst them. “I’m the wolf among wolves,” claimed Lyles, whose victory was only confirmed by a picture finish.
Not cricket, as Pakistan tops India in javelin
— Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan won the men’s javelin title with a Games record of 92.97m, giving his country its first individual gold medal at an Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra, India’s defending champion, finished in second place.
Rivalry exists in cricket matches and other sports between the two countries, but it is beneficial for young people in both countries to watch and support our sport. It’s a good thing for both countries,” Nadeem stated.
North-South Korean podium selfie goes viral
— Images of Olympic table tennis players from North and South Korea sharing selfies on the medal podium went viral in South Korea, hailing it as a rare display of cross-border cooperation.
After winning bronze and North Korea silver in the mixed doubles behind China, South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon posed for a group photo during the medal ceremony.
North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South’s Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all beamed into Lim’s phone, a South Korean-made Samsung.
“A selfie with both Koreas’ national flags and a Samsung phone,” said the widely read daily JongAng Ilbo.
Dreams come Trew
— Australian skateboarding sensation Arisa Trew, just 14, won the women’s park event to become her country’s youngest ever gold medallist.
Trew nailed a high-risk and high-speed final round in her trademark pink helmet, bringing the crowd to their feet at a sun-drenched Place de la Concorde.
The event also featured 11-year-old Zheng Haohao, the youngest athlete ever to represent China at the Olympics.
“Skateboarding in the Olympic Games isn’t much different from skateboarding in my neighbourhood. It’s just more spectators,” she told reporters.
Gender-row boxer beats ‘bullying’
— On a raucous night at Roland Garros, the storied home of the French Open, Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold and used her platform to hit back at “attacks” and “bullying” before defiantly declaring “I am a woman like any other.”
Together with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also fought in Paris, Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships after they failed gender eligibility tests.
However they were cleared to compete in Paris, setting the stage for one of the biggest controversies of the Games.
“I am fully qualified to take part, I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, lived a woman and competed as a woman,” said the 25-year-old.
High five for Cuban wrestler
— Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez created Olympic history by being the first athlete to win five straight individual gold medals in the same event, surpassing Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps.
The soon-to-be 42-year-old then placed his shoes in the center of the mat to indicate his intention to retire.
“Wrestling has been the love of my life, for all of my life,” he told me.
Cool hand, Yusuf.
— Yusuf Dikec, a Turkish Olympic shooting silver medalist, became an overnight phenomenon due to his informal competition manner.
His eye-catching posture included the marksman wearing regular spectacles, a team T-shirt, and his left hand nonchalantly tucked in his pocket.
AFP
