Sports Olympics AM: Paris 2024 in review
Here’s a look back at the magic that was Paris 2024. Hope you enjoy!
Day 1: USA and China earn first golds
The U.S. men’s 4x100m free relay team, from L-R: Caeleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong, Chris Guiliano and Jack Alexy. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The U.S. won their first gold medal on the first full day of competition (Sat. July 27), winning the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. China also won their first gold that day in air rifle, and the two nations ultimately ended up with 40 golds each — the first time in Summer Olympics history there was a tie at the top.
More from Day 1:
“Race of the Century”: Australia’s Ariarne Titmus successfully defended her 400m freestyle gold medal against Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh (silver) and American legend Katie Ledecky (bronze).
France stuns Fiji: The host nation beat two-time defending champion Fiji in the Men’s Rugby Sevens Final, handing them their first ever loss in the event (17-1).
“Nadalcaraz” opens with a win: The dream doubles pairing of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal won their opener. They ended up losing in the quarters.
Day 1 recap
Day 2: Hometown hero
(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Léon Marchand, the 22-year-old face of the Paris Games, lived up to the hype in his first event, setting an Olympic record to win the 400m IM by nearly six seconds. He’d go on to win four golds; only 15 countries won more.
More from Day 2:
Coco matches Venus: Coco Gauff, 20, became the youngest American woman to win a singles match at the Olympics since Venus Williams in 2000.
Strong start for U.S. men’s hoops: Team USA beat Serbia in their opener, 110-84, as LeBron James and Kevin Durant combined to shoot 17-22 from the field for 44 points.
Simone and Suni advance: Simone Biles and Suni Lee qualified for the individual all-around final, marking the first time in Olympics history that two former champs would compete in that event.
Day 2 recap
Day 3: Photo of the century
(Jerome Brouillet/AFP via Getty Images)
Brazil’s Gabriel Medina recorded the highest single wave score in Olympic history (9.90), and Jerome Brouillet captured him exiting the wave in one of the coolest photos ever taken.
More from Day 3:
USA takes bronze: Bespectacled hero Stephen Nedoroscik nailed his pommel horse routine to help the men’s gymnastics team win their first medal since 2008. Please go watch this celebration. Sports!
Novak beats Rafa: Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal, 6-1, 6-4, in their 60th and perhaps final meeting to take a 31-29 lead in their head-to-head rivalry.
Teen phenom: 17-year-old Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, who’d already won silver in the “Race of the Century,” took her first of three gold medals in Paris (200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM).
Day 3 recap
Day 4: “F Around and Find Out”
L-R: Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera and Simone Biles. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Team USA won team gymnastics gold, joining the 1996, 2012 and 2016 teams. During their press conference, they gave themselves a NSFW nickname — “F.A.A.F.O” — in a viral video filmed by some guy named Kendall Baker.
More from Day 4:
3,000 medals: Team USA won its 3,000th medal (Summer and Winter combined). No other country has won more than 1,500.
Rugby walk-off: The U.S. women’s rugby sevens team won bronze in spectacular fashion, taking it the length of the field for a game-winning score as time expired.
Back in the quarters: The USMNT blanked Guinea, 3-0, to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.
Day 4 recap
Day 5: Queen of the 1500
(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Katie Ledecky destroyed the field by more than 10 seconds in the 1500m freestyle final for her first gold. By the time she left Paris, she’d have 14 medals (9 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze), making her the most decorated American female Olympian of all time.
More from Day 5:
Marchand’s double: Before this year, no one had ever won a medal in butterfly and breaststroke at the same Games. France’s Léon Marchand did it in the span of 116 minutes, and both medals were gold.
A star is born: Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç went viral for having the most casual shooting stance you’ve ever seen for a silver medal-winning Olympian. By the end of the Games, other athletes mimicked his stance to celebrate their own victories.
Canada advances: The Canadian women’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals despite being docked six points for their drone-spying scandal.
Day 5 recap
Day 6: The fight that sparked a culture war
(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Italy’s Angela Carini quit 46 seconds into her bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif. The moment sparked a culture war and became one of the biggest stories of the Olympics.
More from Day 6:
Biles rallies to reclaim gold: Simone Biles took gold in the women’s individual all-around, rebounding from a brutal performance on bars to win her sixth gymnastics gold, an American record.
Back on top: Team USA rowing won gold in the men’s four for the first time since 1960 behind the crew of Justin Best, Nick Mead, Michael Grady and Liam Corrigan.
Andy says farewell: Andy Murray, the only man to win two singles golds, played the final match of his career in a doubles loss to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
Day 6 recap
Day 7: Fisher makes history
(Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Grant Fisher took bronze in the 10,000m final with an unbelievable finish, becoming the second American to medal in the event since 1964. The top 13 finishers all broke the Olympic record in a historically fast race, which was won by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei.
More from Day 7:
Four golds, four records: Léon Marchand became the fourth swimmer ever with four individual golds in a single Olympics — and he set the Olympic record in all four (200m IM, 400m IM, 200m breast, 200m fly).
Teddy’s four-peat: France’s Teddy Riner, who opened the Games by lighting the Olympic Torch, became the first man to win four gold medals in judo.
USMNT fizzles: The U.S. men’s soccer team lost 4-0 to Morocco in the quarterfinals, extending their 120-year Olympic medal drought.
Day 7 recap
Day 8: Ledecky, Hancock join four-peat club
(Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
Team USA’s Katie Ledecky (800m freestyle) and Vincent Hancock (skeet shooting) became just the sixth and seventh athletes in history to win four gold medals in the same individual event.
More from Day 8:
What a comeback! Femke Bol led the Netherlands to gold in the mixed 4x400m relay with a stunning anchor leg after taking the baton in fourth place.
St. Lucia’s on the board: Julien Alfred won the women’s 100m final for St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Crouser’s three-peat: American Ryan Crouser became the first man to win three straight Olympic shot put gold medals, while teammate Joe Kovacs claimed his third straight silver.
Day 8 recap
Day 9: Lyles wins gold in photo finish
(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Noah Lyles won 100-meter gold in a thrilling photo finish, becoming the first American to earn the title of “World’s Fastest Man” since Justin Gatlin in 2004. How close was it? Lyles (9.784) beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (9.789) by five one thousandths of a second, which is less time than it takes to blink.
More from Day 9:
Djokovic finishes the job: Novak Djokovic finally won gold in an epic match against Carlos Alcaraz, becoming the fifth player to complete the career golden slam.
Scottie is inevitable: Scottie Scheffler shot a final-round 62 to win gold by a stroke over Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood and continue his incredible 2024 season.
Finke sets record, extends streak: Bobby Finke set a world record in the 1500m freestyle to win Team USA’s first men’s individual swimming gold in Paris, extending a streak that dates back to 1904.
Day 9 recap
Day 10: Gold medal in sportsmanship
(Elsa/Getty Images)
As maddening as it is that they’re taking away Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal in floor, they can’t take away one of the lasting images of the Paris Olympics: Chiles and Simone Biles bowing down to Brazilian gold medalist Rebeca Andrade.
More from Day 10:
Mondo breaks his record, again: Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record (6.25 meters) for the eighth time since 2020 to win his second straight Olympic gold.
Surfing finale: After multiple delays due to surf conditions, the competition finally ended with Team USA’s Caroline Marks and France’s Kauli Vaast, a Tahiti native surfing on his local break, taking gold.
What a shot! Worthy de Jong drained a walk-off shot from distance to lift Netherlands to gold in 3×3 basketball.
