The Olympics have come to an end nearly a week ago, and I am still recovering from the overstimulation and information overload that watching them entails. I have finally found the time and energy to put together a list of my most memorable moments of the Games, so without further ado, here they are:
The wonderful equestrian competitions at Versailles – I have a strong affinity for anything involving horses, so the equestrian competition is probably my favorite thing in any Olympic games. I enjoyed the equestrian events at these Olympics in particular because of their amazingly beautiful setting. It was so cool to see the Chateau de Versailles in the background during the dressage and jumping competitions, and to watch the cross-country competition that took horses and riders on a trek around the grounds. Some of the highlights were Laura Collett and London 52 setting an Olympic record for best-ever dressage score, and the U.S. show jumping team winning silver, making Laura Kraut the oldest female Olympic medalist since 1906.
Egyptian fencer Mohamed El Sayed – The bronze medal match in men’s epee was the first fencing competition that I watched in these Olympics, and El Sayed’s victory over Tibor Andrasfi of Hungary really left an impression on me. Turning on the TV one afternoon towards the beginning of the Games, I happened to catch the end of the match and El Sayed’s exuberant celebration. This was also my first glimpse of the amazing venue, the Grand Palais, with elegant patterns projected onto its high ceilings and competitors entering via a balcony and proceeding down a sweeping staircase to the piste.
Stephen Nedoroscik’s pommel horse routine – How could I not include this? The world fell in love with the nerdy pommel horse specialist while watching him wait nearly three hours to perform his routine during the team competition. Endearingly, he passed the time by going through the motions of his routine in his now-famous “pommel horse dance,” as well as by solving a Rubik’s cube. The most hilarious moment, in my opinion, was when the team was screaming and jumping up and down to celebrate Brody Malone’s strong routine, with Stephen sitting solemnly in the background, looking up just long enough to crack the briefest of smiles. Ultimately, not only did he clinch the bronze medal for the U.S. team, but he won an individual bronze on pommel horse as well.
Tom Daley ending his career on a high note – The legendary British diver won silver in the synchronized platform competition with his partner, Noah Williams. Already a veteran of 3 Olympics and a gold medalist in the 2021 Tokyo games, Daley returned to diving at the request of his 5-year-old son, Robbie. I found it endearing when Noah said, in a post-competition interview, that the best part of the Olympics was getting to compete in front of Tom’s family, and that the thing that made him most nervous was the possibility of disappointing them.
Getting to know David Popovici – I initially didn’t know much about this Romanian swimmer, and didn’t particularly care about or root for him. But NBC’s “puff piece” about him made me a fan. I found his nickname of “Chlorine Daddy” hilarious, I loved the scenes of Bucharest that they showed during the piece, and I really admire Popovici’s unabashed sense of pride in being from Romania. He ended up winning the gold in the 200 meter freestyle, as well as the bronze in the 100 meter freestyle.
Surprise gold for Sarah Sjostrom – This Swedish swimmer won gold in both the 100 meter and 50 meter freestyle at the relatively advanced age of 30. She was exuberant during a post-race interview, explaining that she wasn’t even planning to race the 100 meters, but her coach insisted she give it a try. “I didn’t think a thirty-year-old woman could win this event,” she said.
Kayak cross – This was a new sport in the 2024 Olympics, involving kayakers racing down a whitewater rapids like course. The competitors had to navigate around slalom gates, were required to flip upside down in their kayaks in the “roll zone,” and could push and shove each other out of the way. Although I had never heard of this sport before, I found it highly unique and entertaining and couldn’t stop watching whenever it showed up on my TV screen.
An emotional victory for Novak Djokovic– I am usually not interested in tennis at all, but I have been a fan of Djokovic ever since he was banned from competing in the Australian Open because of declining the covid vaccine. An Olympic gold medal was the one accomplishment missing from his legendary career, until now. One could tell by his emotional reaction how important the victory was to him. Even if you’re not a tennis fan, Djokovic’s gold medal was not only a triumph for him individually but also for medical freedom.
Alice D’Amato making history for Italy – As much as I like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and their amazing teammates, the U.S. female gymnasts are so dominant that it is not really exciting when they win. I always enjoy rooting for underdogs, and Alice D’Amato of Italy definitely qualified as such going into the balance beam final. Amidst falls and mistakes by the favorites, Alice took the gold with her beautiful routine, becoming the first ever Italian woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics.
Gold for Italian skeet shooting team – When the Italian pair of Diana Bacosi and Gabriele Rossetti won gold in the mixed team skeet shooting competition, their enthusiasm was contagious. I loved seeing them standing atop the podium and singing along to their national anthem. Afterward, Rossetti said that he dedicated the medal to his late father and coach, Bruno. “We believed in each other and that made the difference,” he added.
The amazing call of the women’s cycling pursuit – Cycling is another sport that I’m usually not really into. But Steve Schlanger’s play by play commentary made it impossible not to be excited during the women’s team pursuit final, which was won by the U.S. team of Kristen Faulkner, Chloe Dygert, Lily Williams, and Jennifer Valente. “A lung-busting, heart-stopping surge!” he exclaimed. “And it’s going to be team USA! An epic gold medal! A breathtaking 4-minute masterpiece, as American cycling rides to another glorious golden moment in Paris!”
An unexpected Olympic experience for Noah Lyles – Admittedly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Lyles. He is one of those athletes who wins almost every time he competes, and I have also found him arrogant and conceited. But I was impressed that Lyles managed to win bronze in the 200 meters despite having covid. It is difficult to accomplish even mundane tasks when you feel lousy, let alone win an Olympic medal. Although this was not the way that Lyles, or anyone for that matter, envisioned his Olympic experience, it made him seem more human, and somehow made me like him more. Plus, the image of Lyles collapsing to the track in exhaustion after the race was a perfect metaphor for how I felt as the Olympics came to a close – tired, depleted, not entirely happy with the way that things went, but glad for it to be over, and proud of myself for handling it as well as I did.