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After more than two weeks of breathtaking and sometimes awe-inspiring performances, and a bit of controversy, the 2024 Olympics in Paris have come to an end. The summer Olympic torch is now passed on to Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 games.
Many Olympic moments from the last two weeks grabbed our attention, and made news headlines. Gymnast Simone Biles won four medals, three gold and one silver, bringing her Olympic medal total to a record 11.
Biles beautifully completed signature moves on the vault, turned in jaw-dropping performances in the all-around competition and led her team to victory in the team event to win gold medals. In a nail-biting floor exercise, Biles soared — to stunned gasps from New England Patriot great Tom Brady — but landed out of bounds twice, securing a silver medal. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who had overcome numerous injuries, earned her first Olympic gold medal.
Many Americans found a new hero in America’s pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik, who took off his glasses and nailed his routines, earning an individual bronze medal and a bronze for his men’s gymnastics team.
Unfortunately, the women’s gymnastics events ended on a sour note with American Jordan Chiles possibly stripped of a bronze medal because of judging errors in the floor exercise.
Regardless of what is ultimately decided, it was the gymnastics judges who made mistakes in their scoring last week. Any frustration should be directed at them, not the gymnasts who turned in stunning floor routines in Paris.
During the Olympics, Americans again dominated in track-and-field events, but many victories were unexpected. Cole Hocker, for example, came from fourth place near the end to win the 1,500-meter race. He beat the much-hyped Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Great Britain’s Josh Kerr, who had a heated rivalry. American Yared Nuguse came in a surprising third, nearly outpacing Kerr for a silver medal.
Quincy Hall won the 400-meter race, coming from behind in the final seconds.
Both women’s and men’s basketball knocked off France to win gold medals. For the men’s team it was their fifth consecutive gold medal.
There were also moments worth celebrating and remembering that didn’t get as much attention.
Boxer Cindy Ngamba won the first-ever Olympic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team, which was created in 2015 for athletes who have fled their home countries and are recognized as refugees in their host countries. Ngamba, who won a bronze medal, was born in Cameroon and now lives in Great Britain. This year, 37 refugee athletes competed in 12 Olympic sports.
“This means the world to me,” Ngamba said in an Olympics press briefing after reaching the semi-finals. “I want to tell the refugees around the world, keep on working hard, keep on pushing yourself and you can accomplish anything.”
It won’t thaw tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but when a South Korean table tennis player took a selfie of his team with their North Korean counterparts (along with the Chinese team) at a medal ceremony, it was a reminder of the humanity behind the posturing and headlines.
For the last two weeks, people may have seen new sports. Kayak cross anyone? How about those moves on the trampoline? And maybe viewers were reminded of the beauty and precision of events that seem to get attention only every four years, like artistic swimming and synchronized diving.
If you’re afraid you’ll miss the daily Olympic broadcasts, the Paralympic Games, also held in Paris, begin on Aug. 28 and run through Sept. 8. A historic number of Paralympic events will be televised and streamed from Paris this year.
