2024 Paris Olympics Recap: Who Was Made And Who Caught Fade In the Summer Games

Source: Jean Catuffe / Getty

T he Paris Olympics is over, and we’re suffering from withdrawal. The last two weeks provided athletic glory but allowed the world to come together for a much-needed pause from conflict, war, and polarizing politics. The Games, with the backdrop of one of the world’s most beautiful cities, reminded us for just a moment what the world can look like when we go beyond borders and will ourselves to win, place or just show up.

We wanted to acknowledge what these two weeks did for us by recognizing those athletes and moments that stood out in ways that were memorable for all the right, and sometimes, the wrong reasons. There were no specific criteria because while we tried (thanks Peacock!) we couldn’t watch it all. Here are our quirky, personal, just cause we liked them, moments, observations and people from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

Must Wins Who Did Win

Team USA women’s and men’s basketball teams. The men’s and women’s basketball teams set up the biggest dramas on the last weekend of the Games as both teams faced France in the gold medal game. French fans were salivating over potentially being able to smoke that Team USA pack and celebrate Les Blueus.

But not. Team USA men’s, off the cooking of Chef Curry, won their fifth straight gold, 98-87. The women made it suspenseful, but thanks to the heroics of “Norf” Philly’s Kahleah Copper and some clutch free throws by Kelsey Plum, they squeaked out that victory for their 61st straight win and eight straight gold, 67-66. Now what was that again?

Most Amazing Individual Performance

Sifan Hassan: Representing the Netherlands, the Ethiopian-born distance runner won a bronze in the 5,000, a bronze in the 10,000 and set an Olympic record en route to winning a gold medal in the marathon on one of the most challenging courses ever created. And while she doesn’t always wear it off the track, Hassan wore a hijab on the medal stand when receiving her gold medal in front of thousands at Stade de France for the closing ceremonies. France banned the hijab for its athletes. The symbolism of wearing the hijab in that venue at that time spoke volumes without Hassan having to say a word.

Honorable Mentions

Katie Ledecky – While Team USA men’s swimming only brought home one individual gold this Olympics, the queen of swimming walked out of the pool with two golds, one silver, and one bronze, three in individual events, making her the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: She broke her world record for the sixth time in the 400 meter. She hasn’t lost a race in the event since 2019. And, she set one of the fastest split times ever in the 4×400 relay effectively winning the race after running the second leg instead of the anchor as some track fans thought she should. She ran a 47.7 split, one of the three fastest times in history.

Snoop Dogg: Snoop was already winning if the rumored $500,000 a day he was making is true, but his evolution into the goodwill ambassador of the Olympics is one he’ll repeat in 2028 when the Games comes to Los Angeles.

Best Redemption Arc

Team USA women’s gymnastics: Simone Biles is arguably the Games’ biggest star, earning the team gold team medal, the individual all-around gold medal, a gold on the vault and a silver on the floor with celebrities like Tom Cruise in the audience. Biles marked her triumphant return to the Olympics after she bowed out of several events in Tokyo three years ago due to the “twisties,” a syndrome when a gymnast can’t sense where they are in the air. But against all odds, including Jordan Chiles’ mother going to jail, Suni Lee developing two incurable kidney disorders, and Biles’ challenges, Team USA, including Jade Carey and newcomer Hezly Rivera, earned the redemption gold together.

Best Sportsmanship

Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles: They bowed in unison to Rebeca Andrade during the all-Black podium for the winners in the floor exercise. Brazil’s Andrade took the gold and Chile and Biles bowed to her, setting up one of the greatest images in Olympic sports history. Andrade also took home silver in the all-around, silver in the vault and a bronze team medal.

Best Show of Grace

Jordan Chiles: Her floor exercise bronze is now in limbo after it was ruled that the protest that awarded her additional points in the event was four seconds too late. However, USA Gymnastics says they have video evidence it was done on time and are appealing the decision . Chiles was bullied online by Romanians angry that their gymnast, Ana Bǎrbosu, was at first awarded the bronze. Instead of arguing with fans or anyone else, Chiles simply said “Peace out” on social media after posting heartbroken emojis. And, it was her idea to honor Andrade. We love a queen who says let me take a pause, get my mental together and I’ll get back.

It Ain’t Over Till You Cross The Finish Line Award

Quincy Hall: The Kansas City native gutted out a first-place finish after looking like he was gassed and fading in the 400 meter. That he did so with a full set of gold grills, well, teeth that matched the medal. It was the plan all along.

Best Newcomer

Masai Russell: The Maryland native and first-time Olympian won the gold on the first try in the women’s 100 hurdles, beating out defending Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico by one one-thousandth of a second.

Best What Did You Do This Summer Story

Quincy Wilson: Though his time wasn’t as fast as he wanted,16-year-old high schooler Wilson still walks away with a gold in the 400 relays because he ran in the heats. Fun fact: He and Russell went to the same Maryland high school, Bullis High.

I’m Leaving Here With Something Award

Andre DeGrasse: The Canadian track and field star won his seventh medal, a gold, by anchoring the 4×100 relay. He is now tied with swimmer Patty Oleksiak for the most-awarded Canadian Olympian.

Honorable Mention: Team Great Britain, whose women’s and men’s track teams medaled in every relay race.

But What Is Your Day Job Award

Yusuf Dikeç, Turkey’s silver medalist in the 10-m pistol mixed team event went viral when his nonchalant shooting pose with one hand in his pocket and no protective eyewear or earplugs inspired the internet to deem him a real hitman. He’s actually participated in every Summer Games since 2008. The pose became so popular other Olympians used it to mark their celebrations.

Best Meme-Able Performance

Sha’Carri Richarson with the instant classic staredown directed at Team Germany and Team GBR as she passed them to win the gold in the 4×100 relay.

Biggest Winner Off the Track

200-meter sprinter Gabby Thomas, three-time gold medalist in the 2024 Olympics, is also a Harvard-trained epidemiologist.

Best Put on For Your Country Award

Teddy Riner and Leon Marchand: The French judoka won two golds, one in heavyweight judo for his third consecutive Olympic gold medal, and another in the mixed team competition. Swimmer Marchand won four golds in the pool, becoming a national hero in the process. The French men’s and women’s basketball teams both won silver medals. Viva la France!

Best Sport If You’re A Zillionaire Or Just Like to Watch Them

Dressage: It’s basically horse dancing and is such a wealthy sport that you could see the money coming off the horse’s coats. Kidding! But putting the equestrian competitions at the Palace of Versailles said something. It said “You must be rich to participate in this sport.”

Best First

Lauren Scruggs: The New York native is the first Black woman to win an individual medal in fencing with a silver in individual foil and a gold in team fencing. Her match was the decisive one that earned the team the gold.

Most Grateful World Record Holder

Bobby Finke: The distance swimmer won the only medal by an individual male in U.S. swimming by taking the gold in the 1500 freestyle, setting a world record. Ocho Cinco and Shannon Sharpe made good on their promise to pay for every world record set by Team USA. Finke couldn’t believe it – until he saw the check.

Most Unexpected Winners

USA women’s soccer: They took gold in a 1-0 victory over Brazil. Their coach, Emma Hayes, is British, and she took over in November of 2023, becoming the real-life Ted Lasso, but in reverse. She spent 12 years coaching the Chelsea women’s football club and then got Team USA to an unexpected and unheralded gold in nine months. It helped that she had the talents of Trinity Rodman (yes, Dennis’ daughter), Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, who deemed themselves Triple Espresso. Unfortunately, their win was so unexpected the three Black stars (we think they are all Black) didn’t get the pre-Games publicity they should have.

Worst Performances

USA men’s swimming or Jamaican track and field? We give the edge to Team Jamaica, who had a woeful showing at the Paris Olympics. Sprinters Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce unexpectedly pulled out of the Games (both for mysterious reasons, particularly for Fraser-Pryce, who ran the heats for the 100).

Kishane Thompson was barely edged by Noah Lyles in the 100, settling for the silver. Field athletes Roja Stona, who won the gold in discus, Rajindra Campbell, with a bronze in shot put, Wayne Pinnock, with a silver in the long jump and Shanieka Ricketts’ silver in the women’s triple jump helped the team gain back some respect. In a similar fashion to the U.S. 4×100 men’s team, the Jamaican women on the 4×100 relay team dropped the baton and did not finish the race.

Honorable mention: The 4×100 men’s team fumbled the baton and lost for the fourth straight Olympics. What track gods did this team offend?

Honorable mention: Breaking. Just no. Raygun wasn’t even the worst part of it. In our view, it’s not a sport that translates well to the Olympic games and it thankfully won’t be back for 2028.

Best Career to Pull an Olympian

NFL player. Simone Biles is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens. Sydney’s McLaughlin- Levrone’s husband Andre used to play in the NFL. Team USA women’s soccer player Sophia Smith is engaged to Cardinals player Michael Wilson. Her teammate, Trinity Rodman, dates NFL free agent Trinity Benson . Watch Wilson talk about his love below:

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