With just one day remaining for the curtains to come down on the Olympics, now is the opportunity to rewind and pay tribute to some of the best performances of the Games. From Alex Yee who stole the Triathlon gold to Leon Marchand showing why he was hailed as the next Michael Phelps to Rebeca Andrade and Simon Biles in artistic gymnastics and Arshad Nadeem casually winning javelin gold, here’s a photo feature...
Leon Marchand | Swimming
There was a race of the century in the women’s 400m freestyle. Old names kept their date with destiny while new ones made a dash. But Marchand has embellished his credentials so much. He came in as one of the poster boys for the hosts and he certainly did that moniker justice. A total of five medals, including four gold across the over week-long swimming programme.
Alex Yee | Triathlon
With just a few 100 metres to go for the finish line in the triathlon, New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde had a comfortable lead over Great Britain’s Alex Yee. But Yee, one of the favourites coming into the event, started closing the gap before reeling Wilde in when the finish line was in sight. Rest assured, this will be in highlight reels decades down the line.
Simone Biles | Gymnastics
In 2021 at Tokyo, she withdrew. Three years later, the US gymnast was at her best as she her routines and nailed her landings to further her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time. Three gold and one silver from Paris doesn’t even begin to do justice to what she did. Then, in an act of true Olympic spirit, she bowed down to Rebeca Andrade after finishing second to the Brazilian in the floor (compatriot Jordan Chiles had suggested the idea).
Arshad Nadeem | Javelin
An outlier even among outliers. Now, Arshad Nadeem storming to gold in the men’s javelin wasn’t a surprise, he is the reigning worlds silver-medallist. But the way he did it was a shock. His Olympic record of 92.97 demolished the field. From the time he threw that, the rest of his competitors knew within them that they were fighting for second place. That’s even before you get to Nadeem’s life story, a familiar story of fighting the system.
Yusef Dikec | Shooting
There’s a genuine case to say that the Turkish 51-year-old has become one of the most popular athletes during the course of the Games. While his shooting itself was on point — he won a silver in the 10m mixed team event — the way he shot without the use of any external equipment (lenses, eyelids and ear protection) while managing an extremely carefree pose, went viral. A lot of athletes, including Mondo Duplantis after his world record, hit that pose.
Sydney McLoughlin | 400m Hurdles
If you ever feel like putting money on an athlete breaking a world record every time they compete, Sydney is your answer. Since breaking the record for this event in 2021, she has done it five more times. Considering she thinks she can break the 50 seconds barrier, she is likely to break more records in the future. It wasn’t a coincidence when World Athletics’ head, Seb Coe, opined that they may consider changing the height of the hurdles for this event.
Lisa Carrinton | Kayak
Back home in New Zealand, they call her GOAT in the boat. Not without reason. In Paris, she has once again showed her prowess with three golds in as many events. Overall, she now has eight gold over three Games and one bronze she won in Brazil. For a small nation, they continue to punch above their weight, with Carrington at the heart of it. She’s their most successful Olympian.
Novak Djokovic | Tennis
Just in terms of what a gold meant, this would probably rank among all the 24 Slams Novakl Djokovic has won in his career. The Serb, coming into the Games, was aching because of an inability to win gold for his people. Not anymore. In one of his best tennis matches in over a decade, he controlled most of the crucial points against the younger and faster Carlos Alcaraz before beating him at the punch.
Cindy Ngamba | Boxing
The mat saw some of the most divisive moments of the Games thanks to the ill-informed gender row in the first week. Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif won medals, making their countries proud but what was even more poignant was Cindy Ngamba’s bronze, a first ever for the Refugee Olympic Team. Her story is one of utmost bravery amid hardship, a story of survival before winning in front of the world stage.
Celine Dion | Opening Ceremony
There were multiple opinions about the opening ceremony on the river Seine. However, Canadian singer Celine Dion’s performance of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) from the Eiffel Tower was undoubtedly the talk of the town. In her first performance since the diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a neurological condition that causes muscles to spasm, the 56-year-old made a triumphant return in front of the world the way only she could have.
Beach Volleyball venue
Whenever a city welcomes the Games, one of the talking points is the infrastructure. They invariably become white elephants. Paris, however, has managed to buck that trend. They have managed to celebrate the existing architecture. In that way, they have made these Games a celebration of the city. Fencing at the Grand Palais, archery at Les Invalides overlooking the Grand Palais and beach volleyball just in front of Eiffel Tower.
