Paris 2024: A Landmark Olympics Filled with Firsts
Aug. 12, 2024, 11:13 a.m.
Read time estimation: 23 minutes.
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When you hear the word Olympics, what instantly springs to mind? If it's anything other than the athletes who compete, you're missing the point.
Certainly, the infrastructure, transportation, local hospitality, cuisine, accommodations, and weather all contribute to the experience. But let's not lose sight of the fact that the Games have always been, and will always be, about the athletes – the countless men and women who will forever be recognized as Olympians and their remarkable performances. The Games should always center around the athletes.
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While there will always be those who criticize, Paris made many excellent decisions.
Let's dive into the remarkable achievements at the Paris 2024 Olympics, marking history with first-ever triumphs for individuals and nations.
Here are 10 such inspiring stories:
Refugee Olympic Team’s Cindy Ngamba won a bronze medal in boxing at Paris Olympics. AP Cindy Ngamba (Boxer, IOC Refugee Olympic Team – Bronze in women’s 75kg category)
‘A refugee is someone who has been compelled to leave their country due to persecution, war, or violence. They have a genuine fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs, or association with a specific social group. They are unable or unwilling to return home due to these circumstances.’ This is the definition of a refugee as established by the United Nations Refugee Agency, the UNHCR.
By the end of 2023, the UNHCR reported over 117.3 million individuals forcibly displaced from their homes. Of these, approximately 31.6 million are under the UNHCR's direct care.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, 37 individuals from 11 countries were selected to compete in 12 sports as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic team, also known as the ROT. On August 8th, boxer Cindy Ngamba achieved a historic victory by winning the first-ever medal for this team, which made its Olympic debut at the Rio Games in 2016.
Ngamba, a Cameroonian by origin, secured the bronze medal in the women's 75kg weight division. She faced a tough opponent in the semi-finals, Panama's Atheyna Bylon, who edged out Ngamba in a closely contested match decided by a split decision (4-1) at the Stade Roland-Garros. Though Ngamba might have desired a different color medal, this historic achievement marks a significant milestone and serves as an inspiration for those yearning to showcase their sporting talents despite lacking a formal national affiliation.
Advertisement The 25-year-old Ngamba garnered attention even before the Games commenced in Paris. Not only did she serve as the female flag-bearer for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Opening Ceremony, but she was also widely considered a strong contender for a medal, having undergone rigorous training with the Great Britain boxing team. She has resided in the UK since she was 11, making it her home for the past fourteen years. She is also a recipient of the Refugee athlete scholarship, generously provided by the Olympic Refuge Foundation.
Ngamba's journey has been marked by resilience. She faced deportation and even spent time in a detention camp. However, her fighting spirit, both inside and outside the ring, has propelled her forward. In Paris, her Olympic debut, she overcame the third seed in her weight category and then defeated local favorite Davina Michel, paving her way to the semi-finals, where she ultimately fell to the seventh seed.
Advertisement Andy Macdonald, a skateboarding legend from Great Britain, is a name that resonates within the skateboarding community.
At 51 years old, skateboarder Andy Macdonald concludes this incredible run at the #Olympics with a gold medal 🥇
It's reminiscent of my gameplay style from Skate 3 back in 2012 pic.twitter.com/8qDqaLZa0p
— Corporate Dudes (@corporatedudes) August 7, 2024 The sport of Skateboarding was added to the Olympic programme for the Tokyo Games in 2021 and kept its place for the Paris Games this time. If you have been reading about the sport, you will know that it has the maximum number of teenage participants, with the youngest in Paris being just 11 years old. Japan’s Cocona Hiraki won the silver medal in the women’s Park competition in Paris, aged 15. At the Tokyo Games too, a 12-year-old Hiraki had won silver in the same event, becoming Japan’s youngest ever Olympic medallist. There is literally no age restriction in this sport set by the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
Advertisement It's understandable why seasoned athletes might face challenges in this demanding sport, particularly at the elite level. Larger physiques often find it harder to execute complex maneuvers, especially rotations, as younger, smaller athletes have a lower center of gravity and less muscle mass, offering an advantage in these situations.
This is why Andy Macdonald, a British-American skateboarder, stood out amongst the field at the Paris Games. At 51 years old, he became the oldest skateboarder to compete in the Olympics, making his presence remarkable. To put his age in perspective, Andy began his professional skateboarding career over 14 years before his British teammates, Sky Brown and Lola Tambling, were even born, and is 35 years older than them.
Advertisement Andy, who started skateboarding at the age of 12, describes the sport as the ‘fountain of his youth’ and reveled in his Olympic experience in Paris. He is a 23-time X-Games gold medalist in vert skating, a record in itself. He achieved his Olympic dream after discovering his eligibility for a British passport (due to his father's birth in Luton) and securing a spot on the British team.
However, his biggest hurdle was adapting to the ‘park’ format, which, in simple terms, is a smaller, faster, and more compact version of the vert format that Andy is accustomed to.
In February this year, Andy was in Dubai for the second phase of the Olympic qualifications and told Olympics.com – “A vert ramp is 14 feet high and the deepest bowls in park skating in the Olympic Park series are nine feet high. So, it’s like taking everything I know from vert skating and trying to apply it to like, a much smaller, quicker, genre and that is like learning to do it all over again….I can do tricks on the very first try every try. And I go to the smaller bowl and it takes me ten, 15 tries to do it once. And it’s just maddening, but challenging at the same time.”
Andy's passion for skateboarding motivated him to embrace the challenge, ultimately securing a place on the GB Olympic team. Known for his innovative 'nollie heel flip' trick, he finished 18th out of 22 competitors in the preliminary round, missing the final. However, the man affectionately nicknamed 'Rad-Dad' proved that age is just a number and left a lasting impression on the Games.
Andy's goal was simply to have a great time, and he certainly achieved that. He summed up his experience in Paris with a smile, telling reporters: “I definitely won the gold medal for having the most fun.”
Rebecca Andrade, Simone Biles, and Jordan Chiles made history as the first all-Black women's podium in Olympic gymnastics, before Chiles' bronze medal was later revoked.
Silver medallist Simone Biles and bronze medallist Jordan Chiles, who would later lose her medal to Romania’s Ana Barbosu, bow to gold medallist Rebeca Andrade after the Brazilian won the women’s women’s artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena. AP Rebecca Andrade of Brazil, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of the USA – the gold, silver and bronze medallists in the women’s floor exercise gymnastics final at the Paris Games.
For the first time in Olympic gymnastics history, all three podium spots were claimed by Black athletes.
However, in a disappointing turn of events for Jordan Chiles and USA gymnastics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the USA's inquiry into Chiles's floor exercise score, which initially placed her third, was invalid. This was due to the inquiry being submitted beyond the allowed one-minute timeframe as per the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) regulations. As expected, USA Olympic officials have announced their intention to appeal the decision.
Regardless of the final outcome, the inspiring image of these three athletes standing together on the podium will forever be etched in the minds of countless young girls who aspire to become Olympic gymnasts.
It was a moment after all that made Michelle Obama say on social media – “I’m still not over this beautiful moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship! You can just feel the love shining through these ladies. Congrats Rebeca, Jordan and Simone!"
Andrade, Brazil's most decorated Olympian with an impressive collection of 6 Olympic medals (2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze), is a force to be reckoned with. She also boasts 9 World Championship medals and is widely respected in the international gymnastics community. Andrade holds the distinction of being the first athlete to defeat Simone Biles in a floor exercise routine at a major international tournament, according to the Associated Press. It was therefore no surprise that both Biles and Chiles acknowledged Andrade's accomplishment with a bow as she ascended the podium.
Biles, with an already impressive 11 Olympic medals to her name, shared her thoughts with Olympics.com: “As soon as we were standing there, me and Jordan looked at each other…We were kind of all cherishing that together because we knew how special it would be, and we knew the impact that it would make on all the little girls around the world that are trying to do what we’re doing, just for them to know that it’s possible.”
Whether Chiles retains her bronze medal or not, her achievement has the potential to inspire numerous young athletes of color, both male and female, to pursue gymnastics. In the United States, according to data from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), only about 8% of female gymnasts are Black.
Julien Alfred, a sprinter representing St. Lucia, claimed the gold medal in the women's 100m sprint.
Julien Alfred created history for Saint Lucia by winning the women’s 100m race at the Paris Olympics. AP St. Lucia is an island country in the Eastern Caribbean. Till before the Paris Games, the list of some of the more famous St. Lucians included the likes of poet, playwright and Nobel laureate, Sir Derek Walcott, poet Jane King, the first woman to represent St. Lucia at the Olympics - Michelle Baptiste and cricketer and former West Indies captain - Darren Sammy, among others.
Now, Julien Alfred’s name has been added to that list. The 23-year-old athlete astonished the world and her competitors by securing the gold medal in the women’s 100m sprint at the Paris Games.
Alfred, a three-time NCAA champion, surprised pre-race favorite Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S.A. to capture the gold, clocking a time of 10.72 seconds. The gap between the two runners was .15 seconds – the largest margin in the women’s 100m Olympics race since the Beijing edition of 2008. Richardson had her share of critics, but few predicted Alfred would take top spot. That changed after she ran a blazing race in her heat and then claimed the gold in the final. The result also marked St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal.
The tiny island nation erupted in joy, and the celebrations are sure to continue for some time.
After securing victory, Alfred was asked about her dedication for the win. She shared, “My primary dedication is to God, my coach, and finally, my father, who instilled in me the belief that I could achieve this. Sadly, he passed away in 2013, depriving him of witnessing me on this pinnacle of my career. However, he would always be incredibly proud of his daughter being an Olympian.”
This race marked another significant milestone. Melissa Jefferson of the U.S.A. secured the bronze medal, clocking a time of 10.92 seconds, completing an American 2-3 finish. This was the first time two American athletes stood on the podium in this event since the Atlanta Games in 1996.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, a sprinter representing the U.S.A., secured the gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles.
USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone smashed the world record in the women’s 400-metre hurdles event at the Paris Olympics. Reuters Another track superstar who left an indelible impression on the Paris Games was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The 400m hurdler was in imperious form in the final of the event, breaking her own world record by clocking a time of 50.37 seconds. Incredibly, this was the sixth time she broke the world record in this event.
The day of the race also coincided with McLaughlin-Levrone's 25th birthday, and she celebrated it in style, not only by winning the gold but also by etching her name in history as the first woman to win two Olympic 400m hurdles titles. Being the defending champion, she also became the first woman to successfully defend the title.
Her ambitious goal now is to become the first woman to break the 50-second barrier in the 400m hurdles.
Carlos Yulo, a gymnast representing the Philippines, took home the gold medal in both the men's floor exercise and vault competitions.
Carlos Edriel Yulo, of the Philippines, celebrates after winning the gold medal during the men’s artistic gymnastics individual vault finals at the Paris Olympics. AP Gymnast Carlos Yulo of the Philippines was quite the trailblazer and history maker in Paris this time. The 24-year-old won the gold medal in the men’s floor exercise to become only the second athlete from his country to win an Olympic gold medal, after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who won the women’s 55 kg title at the Tokyo Games last time. Yulo also became the first ever male athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal.
The following day, he triumphed in the men's vault event, becoming the first ever double Olympic champion from his nation.
Yulo's extraordinary performances, which saw him defeat Israel's former floor exercise champion Artem Dolgopyat, Armenia's Artur Davtyan, and Great Britain's Harry Hepworth in the vault event, catapulted him to overnight stardom in his homeland. His achievements have earned him iconic status in the Philippines.
It is remarkable to consider that Yulo had missed out on qualifying for the floor exercise finals at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
According to reports, a property group in the Philippines presented Yulo with a fully furnished house valued at $104,000 as a token of appreciation and celebration for his exceptional accomplishments. These achievements have placed Yulo alongside other prominent sports figures from the Philippines, including professional boxer and former senator Manny Pacquiao, and Erik Jon Spoelstra, a renowned NBA coach whose mother hails from the Philippines.
Yulo's accomplishments are particularly impressive given the state of sports infrastructure in the Philippines. The lack of resources dedicated to sports in the country is well-known, with sports often viewed as a luxury.
Some argue that Yulo's victories have also challenged long-held stereotypes that Asian men are not as strong or as 'masculine' as men from other cultures.
Thea LaFond (Triple Jumper, Dominica – Gold in women's triple jump)
Thea Lafond, of Dominica, celebrates after winning the women’s triple jump final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. AP Along with St. Lucia, another island nation in the Caribbean, Dominica, had a historic first to celebrate this time, on the very same day.
Consider this – Dominica (a separate country from the Dominican Republic) sent only one female athlete to the Paris Games for track and field events. This athlete, a triple jumper named Thea LaFond, took home the gold medal in her event.
This marked Dominica's first ever Olympic medal. LaFond's golden feat wrote a new chapter in Dominica's history, a country that faced widespread damage to its property from Hurricane Maris in 2017.
Competing solely for Dominica at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow this past March, LaFond secured the gold medal.
LaFond emigrated from Dominica at the age of five, relocating to Maryland, USA, with her family. Despite this, she proudly competes under the Dominican flag.
As quoted by the Associated Press, LaFond stated, “We have a population of roughly 70,000 people. Not 7 million, not 70 million, just 70 thousand. Dominica is a beautiful, breathtaking jewel in the Caribbean, situated near Martinique and Guadeloupe…. Our neighbors include St. Lucia, Barbados, and further south, Trinidad and Tobago. Our primary language is English. And now, we have a gold medal.”
LaFond initially trained as a classical dancer but shifted her focus to track and field at the age of 13. Her coach and eventual husband, Aaron Gadson, played a pivotal role in her athletic journey. He advised her to jump off her left leg instead of her right, a significant adjustment that transformed her technique.
In Paris, Gadson provided LaFond with crucial guidance, alerting her to an impending downpour that would make jumping conditions challenging. He urged her to make her best attempt early on. Standing at 5 feet 8 inches, LaFond cleared 14.32 meters on her first jump. Gadson's advice motivated her to achieve a new national record of 15.02 meters on her second attempt, securing the gold medal. The rain arrived soon after, making it difficult for other competitors to match LaFond's impressive clearance.
With this significant milestone achieved, the 30-year-old LaFond now aims to realize another cherished dream - building a track and field facility in Dominica.
LaFond emphasized the significance of land allocation for the track, stating, “The biggest obstacle has been securing the land for this track. Grant us the land, and we will build the track.” She expressed her hope that her medal would motivate government officials to expedite the process. “I truly hope that this medal serves as a catalyst for government officials to take action. I envision a future where the next generation won't need to go abroad to pursue their athletic dreams.”
Novak Djokovic (Tennis player, Serbia - Gold in men's singles)
Novak Djokovic achieved a career Golden Slam by claiming the Paris Olympics gold medal. AP This accomplishment deserves special mention as it completes the trophy collection of this phenomenal athlete.
Novak Djokovic achieved a career Golden Slam in Paris by defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in straight sets in the final match played on the clay courts of Stade Roland Garros. Djokovic secured a 7-6, 7-6 victory in the summit clash, finally obtaining the Olympic gold medal and joining the ranks of tennis legends Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams in the elite group of players who have won all four Grand Slams and an Olympic singles gold medal.
The 37-year-old Djokovic also became the first Serbian tennis player to win the Olympic men's singles gold medal.
This was the only prize missing from his impressive trophy collection, which includes a record-breaking 24 singles Grand Slam titles (the most in men's tennis history). In Paris, Djokovic ended a 16-year wait for the coveted top prize. This was his fifth attempt at winning the gold, and persistence proved fruitful. At 37, he was the oldest player to reach the men's singles gold medal match, showcasing his enduring skill and delivering his best performance when it mattered most. He clinched the gold medal without dropping a set throughout his entire campaign.
It's remarkable that he defeated a player (Alcaraz, who was also the youngest ever to reach the men's singles gold medal match), who had just three weeks prior, dominated him in straight sets at the Wimbledon final.
This was Djokovic's second Olympic medal, following his singles bronze, which he had won in his first Olympic appearance in Beijing in 2008.
His emotional reaction after the match spoke volumes.
Mijain Lopez Nunez (Greco-Roman wrestler, Cuba - Gold in men's 130kg)
Mijain Lopez celebrates his gold medal during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Reuters/USA Today Sports This was undoubtedly one of the most inspiring athlete stories from the Paris Games.
Imagine a 41-year-old wrestler, just weeks away from his 42nd birthday, claiming the gold medal in his division - the men's 130 kg Greco-Roman. But that's not the only reason Mijain Lopez Nunez will be remembered. He achieved a feat that may never be surpassed. With his gold medal win, he became the first wrestler to secure five Olympic gold medals and, more importantly, the first Olympic athlete ever to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event.
This is an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of athletics. It's a feat that has eluded even legendary athletes like Carl Lewis, Kristin Otto, Michael Jordan, Nadia Comaneci, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz, Allyson Felix, and Simone Biles. The sheer magnitude of this record is astounding.
Lopez, a five-time World champion and five-time Pan American Games champion, dominated the final, defeating Chile's Yasmani Acosta Fernandez with a score of 6-0. Notably, Fernandez, also a Cuban-born wrestler, chose to represent Chile because he felt he wouldn't have a chance to make the Olympic team in his weight class with Lopez still competing.
Prior to the final, Lopez delivered a stunning upset by defeating the reigning World Champion, Amin Mirzazadeh of Iran, in the quarter-finals. Lopez's first Olympic appearance was in Athens in 2004, where he finished fifth. Since then, he has consistently secured gold medals in every Olympic Games from 2008 to 2024.
Lopez, widely regarded as one of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers of all time (a style that restricts leg use in attacks and defenses and prohibits holds below the waist), made a symbolic retirement after his gold medal win in Paris, leaving his wrestling shoes on the mat as a final gesture.
What a remarkable way to end a legendary career!
Arshad Nadeem (Javelin thrower, Pakistan – Gold in men's javelin)
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem raises his arms in celebration after smashing the Olympic record during the men’s javelin final in the Paris Olympics. Reuters This is a story that every Indian and Pakistan sports fan knows rather well now. It’s in many ways Pakistan’s Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra moment rolled into one. If you hadn’t heard of javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem before this, you will now never forget his name.
The Pakistani javelin thrower not only outperformed reigning champion Neeraj Chopra in the men's javelin final with ease but also became Pakistan's first ever individual Olympic medalist in athletics, their first ever individual gold medalist, and only the second overall individual medalist from the country after boxer Hussain Shah (bronze at the 1988 Seoul Games).
This is also Pakistan's first Olympic medal since their men's hockey team secured the bronze at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. In other words, Nadeem's historic gold is Pakistan's first Olympic medal of the 21st century. This was also, overall, Pakistan's first Olympic gold medal in 40 years - since their men's hockey team clinched the top prize at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Nadeem, who had finished fifth at the Tokyo Games in 2021, with a best throw of 84.62 meters, utterly dominated the field in Paris with a monstrous throw of 92.97 meters, which also set a new Olympic record, surpassing the previous record that had stood for 16 years (Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen threw 90.57 meters in the 2008 Games) and earned him the gold, almost immediately. Amazingly, he registered another 90m plus throw - a 91.97 meter throw on his last attempt.
This saw Nadeem achieve another Olympic first - he became the first Olympic athlete to register two 90 meter (plus) throws in a javelin final. Only Johannes Vetter of Germany and Anderson Peters of Grenada have surpassed the 90 meter mark twice in a final, but never at the Olympics.
Thousands turned out at the Lahore airport to welcome Pakistan's lone medalist from the Paris Games upon his return home.
Unsurprisingly, Nadeem, known for his strong bond with Neeraj Chopra (and finishing as runner-up to Neeraj at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest) has become a national icon and the face of men's javelin.
