From world records to dramatic head-to-heads and brilliant breakthroughs, we look at the top moments from the 2024 Games
Track fans were licking their lips in anticipation at the prospect of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone going up against European record-holder Femke Bol in the women’s 400m hurdles. But it was a no contest in the end as the American flew to a world record of 50.37 as Bol finished a disappointed third in 52.15 behind another American, Anna Cockrell. Read more here.
10 highlights
Mondo Duplantis (Getty)
Duplantis reigns supreme
There are strong favourites for events and then there are near certainties. Mondo Duplantis fell into that category in Paris and, after dispatching his rivals, the Swedish pole vaulter went on to clear a world record of 6.25m. Read more here.
Sifan Hassan (Getty)
Sifan Hassan completes ‘Zatopek treble’
After winning bronze in the 5000m and 10,000m, Sifan Hassan went into the marathon on the final day of the Games asking herself as usual “Why am I doing this?” In a high-quality dust-up between many of the world’s top marathon runners, though, she saw off the challenge of world record-holder Tigist Assefa and Hellen Obiri to take gold in 2:22:55. Read more here.
Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse (Getty)
Cole Hocker shocker
In the most anticipated event of the athletics programme, all eyes were on Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr. Yet after Ingebrigtsen had set off at a world record pace it was Cole Hocker who stormed through in the home straight to take a surprise gold in 3:27.65 from Kerr and Yared Nuguse with Ingebrigtsen out of the medals. Read more here.
Nafi Thiam (Getty)
Thiam vs KJT
Nafi Thiam won her third Olympic gold in Paris and to do so she had to fight off the challenge of world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon. It was a thrilling competition which went down to the wire as the Belgian struck gold with 6880 points. Read more here.
Rojé Stona (Getty)
Hands of Stone
When world record-holder Mykolas Alekna threw an Olympic record of 69.97m in the second round of the discus, he looked unbeatable. But in one of the biggest upsets of the Games, Rojé Stona, a little-known Jamaican who had been having trials for the NFL in the run-up to the Games, beat that mark with 70.00m. “I’ll have to reconsider my future now,” he said on his NFL vs athletics dilemma. Read more here.
Gabby Thomas wins (Getty)
Golden girl Gabby
Gabby Thomas was the most successful athlete in Paris with three gold medals. Two of those came in relays with the United States team but her moment was in the 200m when she beat 100m champion Julien Alfred in style in 21.83. Read more here.
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
Keely delivers
Britain’s only gold in the athletics programme came in the women’s 800m. Keely Hodgkinson was the favourite but still had to do the job against a tough field that included world champion Mary Moraa. After going through the first lap two seconds slower than she planned, the 22-year-old took the race by the scruff of the neck and blasted home in 1:56.72. Read more here.
Jessica Hull, Faith Kipyegon and Georgia Bell (Getty)
Kipyegon scores a hat-trick
Everyone was talking about Eliud Kipchoge going for a third Olympic marathon crown but a fellow Kenyan Faith Kipyegon was trying to win her third consecutive 1500m title and she nailed it with an Olympic record of 3:51.29. Hot on her heels, Jess Hull took silver for Australia with Georgia Bell, one of the revelations of the year, breaking the British record with 3:52.61 for bronze. Read more here.
Beatrice Chebet beats Nadia Battocletti (Getty)
Beatrice Chebet at the double
After winning a controversial 5000m final that saw Gudaf Tsegay tangling with Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet returned to out-sprint Nadia Battocletti to 10,000m gold. After winning her second world cross-country title this year, Chebet is arguably the world’s No.1 female distance runner right now and her marathon debut will be much-anticipated. Read more here.
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