There are over 11,000 athletes in the Olympic Games, and over 11,000 stories of triumph, heartbreak, hope and perseverance. As the Paris Olympics wind to their conclusion, here are some of those stories, as told by the Olympians and others at these Games. Some are bringing home medals, some are returning home with only memories, but all will always be Olympians.
“Oh shoot, I am incredible.”
Noah Lyles was losing for almost the entirety of the 100-meter sprint. But he was leading where it counted — the finish line — and his realization on learning he’d won is a truly great Olympic quote.
“In France, we are [a] republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”
The Olympics Opening Ceremony drew plenty of controversy when many viewers assumed it was mocking a painting of the Last Supper featuring a blue-skinned, nearly nude Dionysus. Many Christians took offense, but Opening Ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly insisted that the last thing he wanted to do was insult his own viewers.
“I saw it in front of my eyes. I was behind him and I said, ‘Don’t worry, I will talk with your wife. Now you lost a gold but in a few days you will win one more important gold maybe.'”
Italy’s flag bearer and Olympic high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi lost his wedding ring during a rainy Opening Ceremony on the Seine, but teammate Francesco Di Fulvio had some words of comfort for him.
“Nuit Nuit.”
Steph Curry hit one of the most dramatic, rousing shots in Olympic basketball history to put the French to bed in the gold medal game … and then sported a T-shirt with the French words for “Night Night.”
“I have never been hit so hard in my life.”
When Algerian boxer Imane Khelif hit Italy’s Angela Carini so hard that Carini retired from the bout just 46 seconds into the fight, that set off an entire worldwide controversy about gender and sports. Thanks to an ongoing dispute with the International Boxing Administration, the International Olympic Committee allowed Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-Ting to fight, despite that they had allegedly failed IBA genetic tests. Both Khelif and Lin would go on to win gold medals.
“Water tastes like water.”
The big story coming into the Games was the $1.5 billion cleanup of the Seine River for the triathlon and marathon swims. After heavy rains during the Opening Ceremony raised contamination levels in the river and delayed the start of the triathlon, there was serious concern about whether the swimming events would even go off at all. They did, and Team USA’s Taylor Spivey had the right response to all the questions about what, exactly, the water tasted like.
“One of the Hungarian triathletes said after his race that he drank a lot from the Seine so it’s going to be much cleaner. He did a really good job.”
Marathon swimming gold medalist Kristof Razovsky of Hungary said he had a bit of help in his race, which tookplace several days after the triathlon.
“lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions”
Simone Biles stormed through these Olympics once again, capturing another four medals — three golds and a silver — and along the way striking back at any and all critics of the U.S. women’s team, whether they were part of the program or not.
“YEEEEAAAHHHHH!”
The Games’ early star? None other than Flavor Flav, the founding member of Public Enemy and reality TV star who has become an unlikely benefactor for the women’s water polo team. He offered up his trademark hype-man “Yeeeeahh!” in motivating the team from the sideline. He even met First Lady Jill Biden at Team USA’s first game, a pairing that doesn’t make any sense no matter how many times you see it.
“Yes, 100%, you won.” … “Bring your shoes.”
In one of the strangest and saddest circumstances of this Olympics, India’s Vinesh Phogat missed her weight for her gold-medal bout against Team USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt by 0.1 kilograms — less than a quarter of a pound. Hildebrandt was initially told she would win gold by default, but then told she needed to fight for it. She won gold anyway over Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, and Phogat left Paris brokenhearted.
“I did not need the special equipment. I’m a natural, natural shooter.”
One of the Games’ viral stars: Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who doesn’t use special magnifying glasses, ear protection or other targeting equipment; he just gets up there and fires. The casual, one-hand-in-the-pocket Dikec became an early meme, and he’s bringing home a silver medal … probably in his pocket.
“It was our family’s dream, my dream, to get into the Olympic Games. That didn’t come true previously. But it’s OK. I’m now 58 years old, my dad is 92 years old. I finally made that dream come true for him.”
Zhiying Zeng of Chile was one of many athletes well beyond the “traditional” youthful age of Olympians. If you’re looking for inspiration, the Olympics will always provide plenty.
“Sunday evening I partied till four in the night. Then I had a full day on the bed. Then I went to a restaurant. Tuesday I went on the bike and again to a restaurant. Then we flew here for the recon. And then I had a very long night of sleep.”
Some people prepare for the Olympics with diligent training. Some, like Remco Evenepoel of Belgium, take other methods. But then again, Evenepoel won gold in the men’s cycling individual time trial, so who’s to say who’s right?
“We’re in France, in Paris, and I love assimilating to different cultures and whatnot. I know this is about as stereotypical as you can get … I’ve already had a bunch of croissants and baguettes too, I just didn’t carry them with me to the game.”
Now-retired NFL player Jason Kelce has become a true American cultural ambassador and a fan of all things Team USA. He’s also one of many ever-present celebrities who came to see and be seen at these games.
“The fact that I hugged Jason Kelce, who has probably hugged Taylor Swift, is keeping me up at night.”
Meanwhile, United States hockey player Sophia Gladieux kept things in perspective.
“I have a thing where I just want to land stuff and not die, basically. It’s what’s fun about it.”
Skateboarding, held for the first time in front of true crowds at Paris 2024, has become one of the Olympics’ most popular events. And the outspoken joyousness of people like street skateboarder Poe Pinson of the USA is a reason why.
“This is a movie. My life is a movie right now.”
South Sudan didn’t even exist a few years ago, and now the nation not only has a basketball team in the Olympics, it’s hanging close with much bigger names. Head coach Royal Ivey summed up the joy of the South Sudanese run.
“I had goosebumps on the podium. I felt really proud to be myself, and to be French.”
Raised in Toulouse, Léon Marchand returned to Paris as France’s conquering hero for the 2024 Olympics. He won four gold medals in a historic performance that included an unprecedented double in the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter breaststroke in the span of 116 minutes. That appropriately earned him the nickname King Léon.
“He honored his coach by fighting. These coaches are very selfless. They do all the work to get here and for him not to experience that moment is very sad.”
Samoan boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito died in the Olympic Village during the Games. His protege, Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, fought on, winning the respect of Belgium’s Victor Schelstraete.
“In the first arrows, you can see me shaking too much for this type of competition, for this type of sport. And I’m happy about this, because it means that I’m still alive.”
Olympians get nervous, too, as archer Mauro Nespoli of Italy can attest.
“The French crowds are incredible. Obviously, they’re very patriotic for the French. Not so much for me.”
France’s Victor Koretzky appeared in position to win gold in cross-country mountain biking but Thomas Pidcock of Great Britain tracked him down … and heard the fans’ displeasure.
“When you are five goals ahead and 7,000 French people boo, I don’t think there are many other feelings that are better than that.”
France had an exceptional Olympics, but on the occasions that the team did lose, the French people voiced their displeasure, as men’s handball player Kristian Skinstad Saeveraas of Norway noted.
“Ask the Americans, I wasn’t in it much that week.”
Rory McIlroy threw down a little trash talk at Le Golf National, recalling the 2018 Ryder Cup held there, where Europe totally dominated the United States. Unfortunately, Le Golf also had its way with McIlroy on the final day of the men’s tournament.
“Normally we would talk -– who is taking the middle and some reminders — but sometimes the music and the fans were so loud that I had to really shout as loud as I could. He never listens to me, anyway.”
The Eiffel Tower Beach Volleyball arena might just be the most magnificent stadium in sports. And it’s one heck of a party too, as Germany’s Nils Ehlers noted while talking about his teammate Clemens Wickler.
“That’s what’s so cool about this week, this tournament and this whole event, it makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than just golf. Walking around in the [Olympic] Village, the sports nerd in me loves it.”
Swedish golfer Ludvig Aberg gets at the heart of why the Olympic Village is such a cool, once-in-a-lifetime event for the world’s best athletes.
“I don’t believe in the medical science that says at 40 or 50 years old, you should not do certain things any more. That may be true for people who believe it, but for me, age is just a number.”
Trap shooter Leonel Martinez of Venezuela, 60, competed this year in the Olympics. His last Games prior to these? Los Angeles, 1984.
“They didn’t even hear what I had to say. I sacrificed everything for this.”
When he false-started in the 100-mete, Mozambique’s Steven Sabino fell victim to the cruelest rule in sports — a one-and-done disqualification. He trained for years, came all the way to France, and didn’t even get to race when he was disqualified and his protests were rejected.
“A false start on 100m and you have to wait another four years. It puts a bad tee shot on the first in perspective a little bit.”
Golfer Tommy Fleetwood of Great Britain on the differences between sports.
“We talk about the cat and the cheese. The cat is threats and the cheese is rewards. Are you a mouse sniffing around avoiding threat, or are you seeking the reward?”
Olympians use all kinds of psychological techniques to motivate themselves. And some, like Great Britain archer Tom Hall, get right to the primal heart of the matter.
“I actually had a ref tell me that I needed to get my emotions in check. That just heightened my emotions even more, so I kept my cool by continuing to be me. To that ref, I’m going to keep yelling, I’m going to keep screaming, I’m going to keep cussing, because that’s the game that I play.”
Team USA’s women’s basketball team won its eighth straight gold medal. When you remember it’s four years between medals, that’s a long, long winning streak. A’ja Wilson is a key element of the team, and she’s playing the game her way.
“My aim was somewhere between sobering up and getting a few more miles. Back in the days when I had nights out till three or four in the morning, once or twice I’d do that.”
There are as many different training techniques to prepare for the Olympics as there are Olympians, but few are quite like those of Great Britain middle-distance runner Josh Kerr, who would run home from the pub as a bit of additional training.
“POV: you make more buzz for your package than for your performances.”
France’s Anthony Ammirati didn’t medal, but he won viral fame when his pole vault attempt failed because he caught, uh, a part of his anatomy on the crossbar. He referenced his woes in a now-deleted TikTok post.
“This weather in Paris is too hot for me. So I put the bed on the balcony. It was a bit rainy, so my neighbor put it inside because there was a lot of water on the balcony. When I came back to the room, I put it back outside.”
The heat in Paris was brutal, and some — like Ukrainian hammer thrower Mykhaylo Kokhan — took unconventional ways to beat the heat.
“We are the best team if we play at 100%. It’s not arrogant. It’s realistic.”
Sometimes, humility is overrated, as Netherlands hockey player Joosje Burg can tell you.
“I’d love to.”
That’s what Katie Ledecky had to say when asked if she planned to compete at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Never mind that she leaves Paris with 14 career Olympic medals, including nine gold, and joined Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to ever win the same event in four different Games.
“I heard [tennis legend] Andy Murray couldn’t get tickets to athletics. I talked to someone last night who was from athletics, and she was like, ‘Andy Murray just hit me up for tickets, but I couldn’t help him out.’ If Andy Murray can’t get tickets, I definitely can’t get tickets.”
Skateboarder Andy Macdonald found out that when it comes to locating tickets to high-profile events, Olympians are pretty much stuck in the same boat as us.
“A big thing that gets people initially involved is that they want to be Zorro, or they want to be Jack Sparrow, or something like that. But then, once you get into the sport, you’re not really thinking about being a pirate any more.”
The Olympics introduces viewers all over the world to new sports, and can lead to a surge. But as Canadian fencer Blake Broszus notes, a little bit of curiosity can lead to a lifelong obsession.
“One was a North Korean. I’m not going to post it, because I seriously don’t know what’s going on there, and if it’s a bad thing for them to be associated with Americans, but I did get one, and he was very nice. All of these countries are still humans, they’re still Olympians, they’re still competitors, and we still share that.”
Team USA speed climber Sam Watson is trying to collect a selfie with a member of every single delegation at the Olympics. Literally, every single one.
“I haven’t seen Snoop Dogg yet. He should come down here and commentate on the sailing. I think that would be hilarious. Especially on our medal races. I think that would be epic. I’ll have to get him out on the water.”
Team USA sailing’s Daniela Moroz is about the only person in all of France who hasn’t spotted Snoop Dogg, who was everywhere during these Games.
“In the quarterfinals, you’re either going to paradise or you’re going to hell.”
Italy water polo head coach Alessandro Campagna gets theological when discussing his team’s prospects.
“Skateboarding in the Olympic Games isn’t much different from skateboarding in my neighborhood. It’s just more spectators.”
Eleven-year-old Zheng Haohao of China was the youngest athlete at this year’s Olympics. Born the day before the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics, if she competes as long as fellow skateboarder Andy Macdonald, she’ll be in the 2064 Olympics.
“It’s really hard in basketball to do something that the Barry family hasn’t already accomplished. They have NCAA championships, NBA championships, all-star games. I mean, my brother won the dunk contest. We’ve crossed out a lot on that list.”
Canyon Barry, American 3×3 player, managed to do something that his heralded family hasn’t: become an Olympian. The men’s 3×3 team struggled in these Olympics, but that doesn’t take away from the honor of being here.
“You’re literally fighting another man, to the death, for six minutes. It’s the closest thing to gladiator sport that we have. Countries or provinces or cities that are wrestling-rich will see those values. It breeds great people.”
Olympic wrestlers don’t actually wrestle to the death. Even so, we wouldn’t want to face San Marino’s Myles Amine after this quote.
“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise.”
Several days after she thought she’d claimed bronze in Monday’s gymnastics floor final, Jordan Chiles learned she will not get to keep that medal after all; an appeal her coaches filed was deemed to be late by as little as four seconds.
“It is gutting and disappointing, of course it is, but I am proud. I am done now. I am not a gymnast any longer. I have done my final routine and I can be very happy. It just wasn’t my day today. It’s me done in the sport. It was my last routine.”
Gymnast Max Whitlock of Great Britain showed the grim downside of the Games — they can be the culmination of a dream, but also the end of one, too.
“I heard that the medals from the Paris Olympics are actually made out of the steel that comes from the Eiffel Tower, so it feels like I’m taking a piece of Paris back home.”
Archer Kim Woo-jin, who won gold in the men’s team archery event, noted one of the coolest elements of this Games’ medals. It’s a lifelong memory of a life-changing Olympics.
“One large beer, or two, or three, or five. I don’t know.”
And here’s how Jo-Ane van Dyk of South Africa — and many others — celebrated a medal, and the whole Olympics.
Source Agencies
