The Paris 2024 Olympics have been full of unforgettable moments, from Yusuf Dikec’s swag to Arshad Nadeem’s historic Javelin throw. Here are the best moments of the event:
1-Arshad Nadeem’s historic Javelin throw
Pakistani javelin star Arshad Nadeem was competing against the world’s top Javelin players, including India’s Neeraj Chopra, who already had a lead of 9-0 against Arshad. It looked like Arshad would win a medal, but bronze or silver. But that was the day of Arshad, and his second throw was 92.97 meters, claiming the gold medal and the record for the highest throw in Olympic history.
This was an epic moment, and the Pakistani nation was cheering on this success because this was Pakistan’s first medal in 32 years after 1992.
Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec became a viral sensation at the Paris Olympics. He won a silver medal in the Mixed 50-meter Pistol event, but his unique style made him stand out. Unlike other shooters who wore ear protectors and special lenses, Dikec only wore his prescription glasses and a t-shirt with pants. He even kept his non-shooting hand in his pocket while aiming and firing. His unusual approach quickly made him famous on social media and turned him into the face of many memes.
3 South Korean shooter with assassin-style
Kim Ye-ji, a South Korean Olympic sharpshooter who won a silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air pistol, became an internet sensation on Wednesday. She was recognized as the breakout style star of the Paris Games.
Wearing a black South Korean uniform zipped up to her neck, a baseball hat, and wire-rimmed shooting glasses, the 31-year-old looked very calm in videos showing her and her teammate achieving the top two shooting scores at the Olympics on Sunday.
After her win, a 27-second clip of Kim calmly aiming, shooting, and checking her record-breaking score went viral.
4-Imane Khelif wins the gold medal
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who faced racist attacks about her gender, won the gold medal in the women’s boxing competition. In the final of the 66 kg category, Imane beat China’s Yang Liu 5-0. She had been targeted by racist comments questioning her gender after Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from their fight just 46 seconds in.
5- Zhou medal confusion
Zhou Yaqin was confused when she saw her fellow medalists biting and copying their medals. After winning silver in the balance beam final, the 18-year-old Chinese gymnast went viral. At her first ever Games, she saw Italians Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito biting their gold and bronze medals. Zhou quickly brought her medal to her mouth but didn’t bite it, thinking it was something all medal winners had to do.
6-Novak Djokovic wins gold medal
Novak Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, had already achieved a lot in his tennis career: he won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, became the world No. 1, and earned over $180 million in prize money. However, he was deeply emotional when he finally won the only major award missing from his achievements—a gold medal at the Olympics.
Usually calm, Djokovic knelt on the clay at Roland Garros, trembling and shaking. He sat on the bench and cried, his body shaking with emotion.
7-Armand Duplantis winning celebration
Armand Duplantis, also known as Mondo, had already won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the men’s pole vault. Despite this, the crowd of about 75,000 at the Stade de France in St.-Denis wasn’t ready to leave. At 24, Duplantis was now trying to set a world record for the ninth time since 2020.
His success came from his great skill and intelligent choices. Although he grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, he competes for Sweden, his mother’s native country, which picks its team without needing Olympic trials. With a bonus of up to $100,000 for setting a world record, he carefully raises the record by just a centimetre each time. On Monday, he tried to clear a height of 6.25 meters (20 feet 6 inches). He missed twice and fell on his third try, but the bar stayed in place. He had set another record, though it was just a tiny improvement.
8-Rebeca Andrade Queen moment
Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles had a plan. They both wanted to be on the top of the medal stand after the final gymnastics event, the floor exercise. But Biles, the favourite, made a few mistakes, and Chiles made a few more. So, Rebeca Andrade from Brazil ended up winning the gold medal instead.
After Chiles got her bronze medal (which was temporary) and Biles got her silver, Andrade was introduced as the Olympic champion. As she walked to the podium, making history as the first all-Black medalists in Olympic gymnastics, Biles and Chiles kneeled and bowed to her. They later called her a queen.
9- Chinese Badminton Player Receives Wedding Proposal
Chinese Olympian Huang Ya Qiong won a gold medal and got a marriage proposal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old badminton player and her partner Zheng Siwei won gold in mixed doubles by beating the South Korean team Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun on August 2. After the medal ceremony, Huang’s teammate Liu Yuchen surprised her with flowers and proposed to her in front of the crowd at La Chapelle Arena.
10-North Korean and South Korean player’s podium selfie
After the mixed doubles table tennis final, athletes from North and South Korea put their differences aside and took a selfie on the podium. North Korea won silver, and South Korea won gold. The viral photo showed how sports can bring people together.
