Garth Brooks had an emotional moment as he identified his “favorite performance” of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
The country music star had nothing but nice things to say about the host country while speaking with NBC sportscaster Maria Taylor in early August. He praised the “great” Opening Ceremony that took place across Paris on Friday, July 26, and gushed over Celine Dion , who performed for her first time in years at the end of the ceremony.
“If you’re going to get the gold medalist of all singers—Celine Dion, oh my gosh,” Brooks said in a video of the interview that Taylor shared on X , formerly Twitter, on Aug. 5.
But the performance that topped his list upon reflection of all the Olympics coverage he had watched by the time of his conversation with Taylor had to do with a monumental win for Ukraine. On Saturday, Aug. 3, four Ukrainian athletes delivered their country its first gold medal in Paris by winning the women’s team sabre final. While any Olympic victory is likely to stir emotions, the added weight of the Ukrainian team’s success amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of their home country , which began shortly after the 2022 Winter Olympics ended, made for an especially moving moment.
Watching the Ukrainian athletes listen to their country’s national anthem play during the medal ceremony was a touching experience for the “Friends in Low Places” singer.
“My favorite performance—no offense to Celine—has been the Ukraine fencing team, the four women,” Brooks said. His voice shifted and he waved a hand at the camera as he began tearing up. “I’m gonna start crying,” he said.
“God, it was just awesome to see them involved in that anthem so much, and really great to see our own athletes involved in our anthem so much, too,” he said. “Big love from America to the rest of the world on the Olympics.”
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