In a word, this year’s Olympics was incredible! It seemed like every event had a moment for the history books. From Simone Biles to Katie Ledecky to Noah Lyles, there were some unbelievable performances in Paris.
There were countless moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics but we’re taking a look at the top 15 and counting down to the best one!
15: Basketball’s Gold Medals – USA vs France
Both the men’s and the women’s team took home the gold medal for Team USA. For the men’s team, it was a nail-bitter to the finish! Steph Curry made his Olympic debut and with his 3-pointers, he was able to push the team to victory. This is the men’s 5th straight gold medal.
The women’s game was just as intense with a great performance by A’ja Wilson, who finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The women have won 8 straight gold medals.
14: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz Reunite
This tennis match will go down in history as one of the best! It was a nail-biter, with neither player backing down, leading to not one but two tiebreakers. Djokovic finally snagged the win in straight sets after an epic three-hour showdown!
13: Men’s 1500-Meter Race
This was one of the biggest upsets of the Paris Olympics! Josh Kerr, the British running sensation, was the top pick to crush the 1500 meters. But he had some serious competition in Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian star who blasted off at a world record pace and led for most of the race. In the final 200 meters, Cole Hocker kicked it into gear and ended up taking home the gold for Team USA!
12: Caeleb Dressel’s 50 Meter Free and 100 Meter Butterfly
In a shocking moment in men’s swimming, Caeleb Dressel didn’t medal in the 50-meter Freestyle or qualify for the 100-meter Butterfly. In the Tokyo Olympics, Dressel won gold in both events. After wrapping up both events, Dressel was spotted in tears by the pool, getting a big hug from one of the Team USA coaches. He did, however, take home a gold in the 4x100m Freestyle relay and was in great spirits the rest of his time in Paris.
11: Women’s Rugby Wins Bronze
Ilona Maher is no doubt the biggest name in women’s rugby after these Olympics, but it was the final play by her teammate, Alex Sedrick, that sealed the deal for the bronze medal. It was the first medal Team USA has won in women’s rugby. They upset Australia 14-12, scoring just as time ran out.
10: Léon Marchand Back-to-Back Wins
Léon Marchand took home the gold in the 200-meter Butterfly and the 200-meter Breastroke. The reason this was so impressive is because those races happened within hours of each other. He became the 4th swimmer in history to win two individual gold medals on the same day. Even Michael Phelps was impressed with his two victories stating, “That’s probably the greatest double I’ve ever seen in the history of the sport.”
9: Women’s Soccer Wins Gold
For those of you who watched the match, you know Team USA fought extremely hard for their gold medal! The win comes with a fresh twist—thanks to the new coach, Emma Hayes, and a revamped roster. It was USA vs Brazil and the final score was 1-0, with the winning goal made by Mallory Swanson. The last time the U.S. women’s team brought home gold was in 2012.
8: Breaking Joins the Olympics
The International Olympic Committee decided to add breaking (yep, that’s breakdancing!) to the Paris sports lineup because President Thomas Bach and his team figured it’d reel in those younger, social-media-savvy fans they’re after. This event made the headlines both for being new and because of one Australia competitor, Raygun, who came to the games with some very creative moves.
7: Noah Lyles is the Fastest Man
Noah Lyles ran the 100-meter and took home the goal because of five-one hundredths of a second! The announcers initially thought Jamaican Kishane Thompson had won but he ended up taking home the silver and Fred Kerley took home the bronze. After this race we all learned it is the first athlete whose torso reaches the finish line first, that wins.
6: USA Men’s Gymnastics Team Wins Bronze
It had been 16 years since the men’s gymnastics team won a medal at the Olympics. This year, the team took home bronze after an almost flawless performance on the pommel horse by Stephen Nedoroscik. He waited through the entire competition for his turn to compete and delivered!
5: Katie Ledecky is Untouchable in the 1500-Meters
Katie Ledecky once again took home the gold medal in the 1500-meters. She is absolutely outstanding to watch in the pool and won by 10 seconds! She says it is her consistency that helps her win these races and she just lets her mind wander. Whatever she does, we hope to see more of it in 2028!
4: Tara Davis-Woodhall Wins Long-Jump and Our Hearts
The moment between Tara and her husband was so wholesome and sweet, the world could not stop talking about it! On Tara’s fourth attempt, she jumped 7.1 meters (or more than 23 feet), to secure the gold medal. After her jump she ran into the arms of her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall. You could hear him tell her, “Tara, you’re the Olympic champion!” as they hugged and shared the amazing moment.
3: Women’s 4×100 Relay Wins Gold
Team USA secured the gold medal in the 4×100 relay, but Sha’Carri Richardson’s side-eye glance at the finish quickly became a top meme. The relay team was made up of Gabby Thomas, Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha Terry, and they totally crushed it! They caught up to win first place with a season-best time of 41.78.
Read More: 15 Biggest Team USA Olympics Moments in History
2: Women’s Gymnastics Team Redemption Tour
This year’s team, self-named the Golden Girls, were on a redemption tour for many reasons. The veteran and star of the team, Simone Biles, was looking to redeem herself after taking time off for her mental health during the Tokyo Olympics. She did not disappoint! Biles took home a team gold, an individual gold on floor and silver on vault. Suni Lee also was looking for redemption after being diagnosed with two different kidney diseases and having to take time away from gymnastics. She also took home the team gold and an individual bronze for the uneven bars and bronze in the all-around.
Jade Carey started her Olympics off with an illness that almost made her miss her individual event. Fortunately, she was able to work through her illness to capture the bronze on vault.
Lasty, Jordan Chiles was overcome with emotion after an inquiry led her to the bronze medal for her floor routine. Recently, that medal has been up in the air as the governing bodies determine if the inquiry was valid or not. Team USA is currently in the appeals process.
Read More: Countries With the Most Olympic Gold Medals in History
1: Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav Won the Olympics for Best Supporters!
How could you not love these two?! Everywhere they went, they were the loudest supporters in the crowd. Flavor Flav made headlines after sponsoring the women’s water polo team and even paying an Olympian’s rent after she sent a tweet saying she wasn’t going to have the money.
Snoop Dogg was hired by NBC to be a commentator, but even they mentioned that he went above and beyond. He sat and cheered with the families of the Olympians, he was always decked out in red, white, and blue to show his support for Team USA, and even performed at the Closing Ceremonies. Both Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav embodied the spirit of the Olympics and were so fun to watch.
Read More: Best Celebrity Sightings at the 2024 Paris Olympics
