These are the 6 things from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
What a fantastic Olympics we had here in France. Olympics
We did our best, but it’s difficult to distill two weeks filled with so many amazing moments from the great Paris Olympics.
Simone Biles solidifies her place as history’s greatest.
One of the major stories of these Games was Simone Biles, who arrived in Paris as the most decorated gymnast in history and left with three more gold medals and a silver.
Summer Olympics
Her achievement confirms her place as the best athlete the sport has ever known, especially considering her path to the Olympics, which is now well-known yet gets even more remarkable with every recounting.
The 27-year-old took a break from the sport to concentrate on her mental health after withdrawing from multiple Olympic competitions due to “twisties,” a mental block that causes gymnasts to lose their balance in the air. After that, she brilliantly led the United States to a gold medal in gymnastics in Paris.
Biles stated to CNN Sport’s Coy Wire that she was returning to the Olympics for herself and no one else, despite the excitement and expectations surrounding her.
Because no one compelled Biles to be on that stage, she added, “That was important to me.” “I did it only for me, and both physically and emotionally, I’m in great shape. It meant the world to me to accomplish this for myself.
Her comeback to the top of the sport has turned into a narrative about the value of counseling, putting your own mental health first, and rising above your lowest point.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, emerges as the Games’ unexpected face.
After Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from their match in 46 seconds, Imane Khelif became the odd face of these Olympic Games, receiving criticism on the internet. A week later, Khelif won the gold medal in the women’s 66kg welterweight division.
Following her fight against Carini, some onlookers questioned Khelif’s eligibility, bringing up a discredited boxing regulator’s 2023 decision to exclude her from a women’s competition.
She was “born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,” according to IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, who also firmly backed her participation in the 2024 Games.
The altercation served as a focal point for an often incorrect discussion over the rules governing women’s participation in sports. Additionally, it led to a barrage of online harassment, with transphobic critics mistakenly referring to Khelif as “a man” due to a purported physical advantage.
Khelif advanced through the competition with all eyes on her, garnered tremendous support from the spectators, and ultimately took home a gold medal.
“I’m overjoyed. After the fight, she declared, “I’ve been dreaming of this for eight years, and I’m the Olympic champion and gold medalist.” “I’ve worked for eight years, without a break, and I’m exhausted.”
Following Khelif’s gold medal victory, her attorney Nabil Boudi announced on Saturday that Khelif had filed a formal complaint with the Paris prosecutors, claiming to have been the victim of “aggravated online harassment.”
According to her attorney Nabil Boudi, “Imane Khelif decided to lead a new fight: one of justice, dignity, and honor.”
The most decorated female US Olympian in history is Katie Ledecky.
At these Games, Katie Ledecky won four medals: two gold, one silver, and one bronze, solidifying her reputation as one of the greatest Olympians ever.
In the process, she surpassed fellow swimmer Jenny Thompson to become the most decorated female US Olympian of all time with 14 medals.
Ledecky, who is 27 years old, probably has one more Games left in her, especially since she may host a home Olympics in Los Angeles in four years.
“I simply adore the swimming pool, the water, and sharing with others how amazing our sport is,” she recently said to CNN Sport. “It’s very important to me to see people learning how to swim in the pool.”
Ledecky won gold in the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle competitions in Paris. She also took home silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay and bronze in the 400-meter freestyle competition.
“Semi-naked blue guy” and controversy surrounding the opening ceremony
It has caused controversy worldwide, but it was also one of the more memorable parts of what was maybe the most unusual opening ceremony in history. Some reviewers have called the scene in question a spoof of “The Last Supper,” which had numerous dancers and drag performers.
Philippe Katerine, a French performer who originated as the Greek wine deity Dionysus and soon gained notoriety as the “semi-naked blue guy,” was also a part of the performance in question.
In the scenario, Katerine was coated head to toe in sparkly blue paint and appeared to be naked while she lay on a table singing a song.
Millions of people worldwide witnessed his appearance as it went viral. His song “Nu,” also known as “Naked,” is a call for peace that was sparked by wars like the ones in Gaza and the Ukraine, according to Katerine.
If we had continued to remain nude, would there have been wars? You can’t conceal a gun or a blade when you’re nude, so maybe the answer isn’t that, he added.
Following criticism for the scene from Christian and Catholic organizations, Olympic officials issued an apology. The celebrations “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity,” according to the French Catholic Church. If his appearance startled anyone, Katerine also expressed regret and called it a misunderstanding.
The exciting week Noah Lyles had in Paris
The American sprinter Noah Lyles is never out of the news, and the Paris Games were no exception.
Initially, he triumphed in the men’s 100-meter sprint gold medal by the narrowest of margins—just 5,000th of a second—bubbling through the field at the Stade de France and squeezing in to cross the finish line ahead of Jamaican favorite Kishane Thompson.
When Justin Gatlin won the 100-meter race in Athens, the United States had not won an Olympic gold medal in that event in 20 years. In addition, it solidified Lyles’ status as the leading American celebrity in the field. With his lightning-fast pace and viral moments, the captivating 27-year-old sprinter was already one of track and field’s most well-known figures.
The 200-meter sprint was his signature event, and it came up a few days later. Usually, he had a great deal of confidence in finishing an Olympic double.
But in a startling change of events, Lyles placed third, failing to defeat Team USA’s Kenneth Bednarek and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who placed first and second, respectively.
But when Lyles collapsed on the track right after crossing the finish line, the race’s outcome was swiftly removed from the news. Wheelchair-assisted medical staff helped him off the track and into the medical holding area.
Later on, he disclosed that despite testing positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, he participated in Thursday’s 200-meter race.
Lyles left Paris with a gold and bronze medal added to his collection and his title as the fastest man in the world recovered. That was the last time we saw him.
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