Memorable moments at the Paris Olympics: Simone Biles was the star, but the spotlight was on many others
PARIS: Simone Biles made a stunning comeback at the Paris Olympics, and everyone watched her every move, both in and out of the gym.
All eyes were on Biles as she won four medals, but the spotlight was also on new names, new faces, and unexpected new stars. The Paris Olympics will be remembered for breathtaking stadiums, unprecedented accessibility, and Snoop Dogg starring in NBC’s record-breaking coverage.
Paris introduced the world to “The Massage Man” and “The Real John Wick”, while an Australian professor became the first Olympic breakdancing athlete to deliver a meme-making performance.
French swimmer Leon Marchand had a Michael Phelps-like performance at his country's Olympics, winning five medals, including four golds. Ilona Maher was set to appear on the reality TV show “Love Island” after leading the United States to a heart-pounding late victory in the rugby sevens, the first ever American medal, bronze.
Noah Lyles won the 100m to become the world’s fastest man, but after finishing third in the 200m – his first loss in his favourite event since Tokyo three years ago – he revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19. Shakari Richardson won silver in the 100m before chasing two more in the rain to win relay gold in his first Olympics.
The United States leads the medal tally, winning 121 medals on Sunday's final day of competition, 37 of them gold. The U.S. also won again in men's basketball and women's soccer.
Let's take a look at the best moments from the Paris Olympics.
The bile rose to gold
Biles returned to the Olympics three years after withdrawing from several events at the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health reasons, and won four medals, including three golds.
She was the hottest attraction in Paris, competing in front of a crowd full of celebrities. Those who couldn’t sit in the stands with Tom Cruise, Spike Lee, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga watched from afar, with NBC reporting that 34.7 million viewers across platforms watched Biles lead the United States to gold.
Next stop for the greatest gymnast in Olympic history is the 30-stop “Gold Over America Tour” for GOAT.
Difficulty in swimming
After nine days of competition, the United States barely holds the lead in the swimming gold medal standings, needing to win the final Olympic event to clinch the gold.
The United States finished the Games with eight gold medals, its fewest since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, one ahead of its biggest rival, Australia.
Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, said it was “one of the worst performances in U.S. team history.”
The rest of the world has more wins (20) than the United States and Australia combined, the first time that has happened since the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Track problem
The United States won 34 medals and 14 gold, its best performance at a non-boycotted Games since the early 20th century, when there were more sports and fewer participating countries.
This came despite disappointments that included Richardson failing to win gold in the 100m, Lyles dropping out of the 200m after being diagnosed with COVID-19, and the men's 4x100m relay being disqualified.
The relay performance was so poor that nine-time gold medalist Carl Lewis called for sweeping changes within the U.S. track and field program.
But the U.S. finished strong. Sydney McLaughlin-Lebron won the 400m hurdles, again setting a world record, and she was then part of the 4x400m relay team that won a landslide victory alongside Gaby Thomas on the final day at the Stade de France.
The American men won gold in the same event by a much narrower margin about 15 minutes earlier.
The United States' 14 gold medals are the most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1968.
USA Basketball Wins Another Gold Medal
Steph Curry finally added more hardware to his legacy by winning an Olympic gold medal.
Curry scored 24 points and led the U.S. to a 98-87 win over France in the men's basketball final, giving the U.S. its fifth consecutive gold medal and its 17th in 20 Olympic appearances.
Kevin Durant, the first four-time Olympic basketball gold medalist for a man, scored 15 points for the U.S., as did Devin Booker, and LeBron James, wearing metallic gold sneakers, scored 14 points for the U.S., earning his fourth Olympic medal and third gold medal.
Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points for France in his first Olympic final appearance and was left in tears after the game.
The U.S. women's soccer team is back on top
The U.S. women's soccer team won its fifth Olympic gold medal, beating Brazil 1-0 in the final. The U.S. hasn't won a gold medal since the 2012 London Olympics.
They went undefeated in their first international tournament under new coach Emma Hayes.
As the final whistle blew, the U.S. players celebrated as Bruce Springsteen's “Born in the USA” played across the field.
Boxing Controversy
Women's boxing has been dragged into a culture war over gender stereotypes involving two fighters.
Algeria's Iman Khelif and Taiwan's Li Yuting were heavily criticized by the Russian-led International Boxing Federation after they were disqualified from world championships last year, claiming they had failed to pass the women's competition qualification test, and IBA officials refused to give basic answers to questions about the matter.
Despite facing intense scrutiny in the ring and being criticized online for her perceived misogyny worldwide, Kelly ultimately won gold in the women's welterweight division.
Lin won gold in the women's featherweight event a day later, ending a four-fight undefeated streak in Paris and giving Taiwan its first Olympic boxing gold medal.
“I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I live a woman, I am qualified to be a woman,” Kelly said after her victory.
The International Olympic Committee took the unprecedented step of permanently banning the IBA from the Olympics last year following years of concerns about governance, competitive fairness and financial transparency. The IOC argued that the performance tests imposed on the two boxers by the sport’s governing body were irreparably flawed.
