Favorite Moments of Paris 2024 Games

[surfgirl]

These Olympic Games felt so iconic, every detail attended to in ways that lent more meaning to both larger and smaller moments. So on closing day, reflecting back, what were you're Top 3 favorite Sports moments, and your Top 3 favorite Non-Sports moments of these Games, and why?

Edited August 11 by surfgirl

[surfgirl]

My Top 3 Sports Moments were:

1. Watching the ascension of Leon Marchand in Swimming. It's always exciting to see the next possible 'baby GOAT' coming into the spotlight.

2. Discovering Rugby Sevens, my first introduction to this sport and man am I hooked! I found this sport late one night during the first weekend I think, watching the Men's Gold medal match and it was so exciting and while I had no idea what the hell was happening on the field, I was all in! Then I watched the Women's Bronze final match and holy shit, I'm all in now with Rugby Sevens!

3. Women's Artistic Gymnastics because it was just wonderful to watch Simone Biles come back from Tokyo. It was just a really great feel-goid redemption story.

My Top 3 Non-Sports Moments:

1. The Paris 2024 Venues, mon dieu! ♥️  Equestrian events at the Palace of Versailles? Pinch me, is this real?!? Beach Volleyball under the watchful gaze of the Eiffel Tower? Am I dreaming? And Fencing in the Grand Palais? Are you kidding me?! We will never see venues this iconic ever again, well, until Paris hosts again.

2. The Paris 2024 bell that gold medal winners were ringing. Learning that the bell would find its forever home in Notre Dame gave me chills. So cool to know that every time the new bells ring out, one of them is the bell rung by countless Paris 2024 Gold medalists, such a beautiful touch!

3. Champions Park, I loved this idea and think it should be a thing going forward in all Games. Having one central point where medal winners can celebrate more closely with fans was such a great idea and the athletes all seemed to really enjoy it as well. It was a great way to bring athletes, fans, and spectators together! I also loved the Marathon Pour Tous, a great idea to give non-Olympic runners a taste of what being in the Games is like. 

 

Edited August 12 by surfgirl

[Daisy]

I can never really pick one thing. I just love the Olympics. I'll be honest I wasn't really feeling Paris. I don't know why - i've not really been well for a few years and really every day is basically - let's just get through the day. I've not really been into sports as a whole and usually, I am like ON IT when it comes to the Olympics. I honestly thought i grew out of it (as I stated somewhere else - I've been kinda watching Olympics since 92 - really fell in love with it because of Lillehammer) so it's been a huge part of my life. 

But even with the crazy Opening Ceremonies aside... it all came back. the rush of adrenaline, discovering new to me sports (Helloo Judo!!). debating what we like/don't like about certain aspects in sports, screaming at the top of my lungs when something amazing happened for my country, crying when something really amazing happened to any other country. the Olympics are magical. No matter how political or obnoxious things may get - for 16 days. the World is together. We all come together. it might sound really sappy but it's so true. so I guess my favourite thing about Paris 2024 is that it reminded me how much j'adore les Jeux Olympiques. It just took a little bit to get going this year that's all. 

So thank you Paris for that thanks so very much

and if i have to pick one thing. Celine Dion. Always. best part. 

[BuckeyeLou]

Surfgirl: I agree with your picks, I will add my 3:

Stephen Nedorocik(Sp?) of Men's Gymnastics...he was so nerdy & cute & so excited to win a medal, for me this a real Olympic story: an Underdog that no one has heard of wins a medal

2.Cole Hocker winning the 1500 meter race upsetting the 2 favorites: Cole is from Indianapolis(where I live) so I was jumping up & down with excitement as he pulled into 1st place!

3. The USA Men's & Women Basketball Final games...they were super exciting, very close, the French crowd was so excited for their Team, their enthusiasm was infectious

For Non Sports Moments: 1. Celine Dion singing an Edith Piaf song on the Eiffel Tower: Beautiiful!  2. The Floating Balloon Caldron 3. Snoop Dogg's enthusiasm at the all the Events he attended

[Quickbeam]

I loved the Frenchness of the games, the way they said “this is who we are, all that stuff you think you invented? It was here first”. Paris is so lovely, I’m happy it was mostly smooth and without incident.

I love Stephen Nedoroscik and that the selection process allowed for a specialist. No way the US team medaled without him. He’s a treasure. 

 

[MaryMitch]

Sports moments:

1. In Track & Field  - that little look that Sha'Carri Richardson gave the other runners as she passed them in the 4x100. I know she was just checking to make sure she was ahead, but ... that LOOK!

2. Katie Ledecky winning by such a large margin that she was the only swimmer in the picture

3. Likewise, the US women in the 4x400 - that was incredible

 

Non-sports moments:

1. The brigadier stick - so culturally appropriate. (That's the stick they banged against the floor at the start of events)

2. The bell at the track meet. Next stop: Notre Dame cathedral!

3. That cauldron!

[Souris]

There were so many amazing moments, but one that has stuck with me is the women’s cycling road race. The course was so epic — up Montmartre, past Sacre Coeur, along cobblestone lanes — and then to have USA’s Kristen Faulkner, who wasn’t even supposed to be competing until her teammate dropped out a couple days before, hit the turbo boost and leave the others in the dust at the end was the exciting cherry on top.

I was impressed by all the last second turbo boosts: Femke Bol in the mixed relay, Cole Hocker in the 1500, Grant Fisher (twice). I know I’m forgetting some.

Katie Ledecky being Katie Ledecky. Simone Biles and Suni Lee getting gold after all they’ve been through. Stephen Nedorosik. Bobby Finke shockingly winning a race by leading from the start. Steph Curry going nuclear. U.S. women going 1-2 in fencing. The U.S. women dominating that 4x400.

The venues! Equestrian at freaking Versailles!

The meme of the chill Turkish shooting medalist!

Edited August 12 by Souris

[yowsah1]

SPORTS MOMENTS:

1.  Stephen Nedorosic coming through in the clutch to win a bronze medal for his team.  Clark Kent took off his glasses and turned into Pommel Horse Superman!

2.  The US Artistic Swimming team doing the moonwalk underwater!

3.  The entire Breaking competition (yes, even Raygun ;) ).  The excitement, the competitors just putting it all down, the camaraderie, and most of all, the FUN!

NON-SPORTS MOMENTS:

1.  The Brigadier Stick.  Just a lovely way to start off competitions.

2.  Hearing the bells of Notre Dame ring out over Paris in the Opening Ceremony.

3.  All the athletes singing WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS at the top of their lungs during the Closing Ceremony.

[blueray]

11 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

Stephen Nedorocik(Sp?) of Men's Gymnastics...he was so nerdy & cute & so excited to win a medal, for me this a real Olympic story: an Underdog that no one has heard of wins a medal

This for me. As I said in the thread it seemed like something out of a movie. I'm a nerd (obviously) and it was nice to see one be recognized as the hero of the team. While yes, it was a team effort to get there. It was nice that he was able to do his thing and win a medal for the team at the very end. I love the shot of them holding him up at the end ;).

St. Lucia winning it's first medal (a gold). That was nice to see. As of course they cut to people in the country celebrating.

Suni and Simone coming back and winning medals :).

The non sports: The skit between Michael Phelps and Snoop dog in the pool. At first I thought, oh boy this is going to be annoying. But it surprisingly wasn't. It was actual a fun bit. 

[shoregirl]

The focus on Women's Sports (at least on the US.) the US women won 65% of the gold medals Team USA got. Seeing people like  Snoop and Jason Kelce attend and hang with them on social media was delightful. Shout out to Flavor Flav in particular for financial support the women's water polo team.

Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles cementing their legacies.

Ilona Maher living her best life in Paris after winning the Rugby 7s bronze.

Let's hope there is still a focus post Olympics (but I wouldn't hold my breath)

[Conotocarious]

Favorite moments:

1. Simone Biles. Everything Biles. And Suni Lee as well. The women’s gymnastics events were great except for one thing.

2. Janja Garnbret winning her second gold in climbing and Brooke Raboutou as the silver medalist. Wholesome friendships in climbing. 
 

3. The star making turn of Pommel Horse Guy, who is the sweetest person.

 

 

[shoregirl]

 

 

[Shrek]

The guy from Turkey who looked like he walked in off the street with his LensCrafters glasses, picked up a pistol, took some shots, wiped down the pistol before putting it back & walked out with a medal while all of the other competitors with their special aiming glasses etc. looked on in disbelief. Okay I may have made up the last part.

[NUguy514]

1. Simone and Suni showing us what resilience, determination, and love of performance look like and proving that strong women who know and celebrate themselves and each other will compete at their best and have fun doing it.

2. The camaraderie between almost all of the athletes, men and women, in almost all the disciplines.

3. The USA track and field team dominating (mostly) and watching so many of them refuse not to win (Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson in the 4x100 relay, Rai Benjamin in the 4x400 relay, Cole Hocker, Quincy Hall, Masai Russell) or just making it look easy (Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 4x400 women's relay team).

4. Letsile Tebogo, Julien Alfred, and Thea LaFond bringing their respective nations their first Olympic gold medals, and the first two in such marquee events.

5. Steph Curry deciding to win the gold medal he came to Paris for and reminding us that no one can shoot a basketball the way he can or play the game of basketball with such pure ebullience.

6. Katie Ledecky going four in a row and Bobby Finke setting a world record.

7. Any and all medals for Ukrainian athletes.

8. The American women collectively showing us, yet again, how it's done.

9. All of my Olympics husbands.

10. Paris, the most beautiful city in the world and the perfect place for a post-quarantine, joy-filled Olympics to occur.

[ProudMary]

Everyone has done a great job of commenting on the best moments of the Paris 2024 Olympics. I agree with all that has already been mentioned, and I'd like to add a few others that haven't yet been noted.

Sports Moments:

1. Faith Kipyegon of Kenya getting her third consecutive Gold medal in the Women's 1,500m! Can we all just take a moment to recognize what an amazing feat that is?!? I think she's remarkable. 

2. The Men's High Jump final. I watched all of it on Peacock. If you only got to see the few jumps shown on the main NBC coverage, you missed some edge-of-your-seat excitement from that event. My heart was pumping. Three jump-offs!

3. My third moments were memorable because I live in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and US sprinter Melissa Jefferson is a Lowcountry local, coming from Georgetown. Our local news had interviewed her mom just before the Olympics started and her mom said that she knew that Melissa was bringing a medal home. Well, that was an underestimation, as she came home with TWO; a Bronze in the Women's 100m (just behind her training partner Sha'Carri Richardson) and a Gold in the Women's 4x100 relay. Lowcountry Proud!

4. Already mentioned, but I absolutely LOVED the ringing of the bell by all the Track and Field Gold medalists. Why has this never been thought of before?!? I hope this becomes tradition in future Olympics.

Non-Sports Moments:

1. I already mentioned this in the general discussion thread, but one of my very favorite moments was at the Medal ceremony for Men's Basketball, when the hometown Paris crowd serenaded the Silver medal-winning French team with an impromptu, a cappella version of "La Marseillaise," just before the US team members were awarded their Golds. Chills.

2. The historic moment at the closing ceremony when Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass received the Olympic Flag on behalf of the next host city; the first Black woman mayor ever to do so.

3.  Maria Taylor's Late Night in Paris coverage each night from 11:30 pm-1:00 am. Sure, there was coverage of some sports that hadn't made it to the main NBC primetime show, but the fun part was Maria's interactions with some of the US Olympians around Paris. Her segment with Frederick Richard was delightful; as was Katie Ledecky at Versailles. She also had the interview with the US 2022 Figure Skating Team after they received their LONG-awaited Gold medals awarded to them at Champions Park. Maria is a natural. The athletes were very comfortable with her. Really good stuff.

Thank you, Paris!

[Chaser]

The US Men winning the Team Bronze. Clark Kent going on to win Bronze in the Pommel Horse final. Suni winning Bronze in the All Around and the Bars Final. Jordan winning Bronze in Floor (just try and fight me on this). These Bronzes were Gold to them.