From looking for love in the Olympic Village, to upsetting decades-long win streaks, to losing a wedding ring in the Seine, the 2024 Paris Olympics were heartbreaking and heart-making for athletes and viewers alike. Five Olympic Committees–Dominica, Saint Lucia, Albania, Cabo Verde, and the Refugee Olympic Team–won their first-ever Summer Olympic medal of any kind. In particular, Botswana, Dominica, Guatemala, and Saint Lucia won their first-ever gold medals. The Olympics this year saw more than just first-time medalists; breakdancing and kayak crossing also made their Olympic debut.

This year, like many Olympics past, the internet was no bystander to the elite sporting event. Millions of viewers across the globe had many strong opinions to express about the Games. Despite breaking (or breakdancing) being a new Olympic sport, many had more to say about one particular athlete, B-Girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, than the novelty of the sport itself. Confusion, mockery, and curiosity exploded following Raygun’s shocking performance featuring kangaroo-like hops and imitations of fish. Other breakers’ performances used more orthodox moves that the average viewer would expect of a breakdancer: swiveling on their heads, flips, and legs spinning in the air. After  her performance, Raygun received many harsh comments and even death threats over her qualifications as a breakdancer, despite her winning her ticket to the Olympics fair and square with her gold medal at the 2023 Oceania Breaking Championships. Raygun, in a September interview with NPR, says that she will be staying away from competitions for a while. 

Many viewers also noted the unsportsmanlike behavior directed towards Chinese athletes. Swimmer Pan Zhanle, who broke the 100m freestyle world record and helped his team end the USA's 64-year win streak in the 4x100 relay, recalled Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers ignoring him when he greeted him. Furthermore, after a semi-final match between American Emma Navarro and Zheng Qinwen, the first Chinese tennis player to win a gold medal in singles, Navarro told Zheng that she “didn’t respect her as a competitor.” Both players had the chance to later reconvene at the net in the 2024 U.S. Open, starting in late August, but did not. Before the potential U.S. Open semi-final match against Zheng, Navarro gave more details about the heated exchange during the Olympics. “It wasn’t an emotional outburst,” she said in an interview with reporters, “just kind of matter-of-factly how I felt.” Despite what viewers may have incorrectly speculated from their conversation at the Olympic net, Navarro doesn’t have hard feelings about Zheng’s actual playing, stating that Zheng is a “great player” and will be a “great challenge.”

The internet, despite its relentless criticism and watchful eye, also served as a lighthearted vessel for elite athletes to connect with their fanbases and reveal the more personal side of being an athlete of such caliber. American rugby player Ilona Maher turned to TikTok to update viewers on her search for love in the Olympic Village, posting that she’s been “making progress in the villa.” Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen similarly used TikTok to express his love for the Olympic dining hall’s chocolate muffin, making the dessert viral as people scrambled to find copycat recipes for the Paris-exclusive muffin. During the opening ceremony, Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi also went viral on Instagram for apologizing to his wife about losing his wedding ring in the Seine River. In the post, Tamberi poetically expresses his sorrow over the loss, but writes that he couldn’t imagine a better place to lose it than in the “riverbed of the City of Love.” In the form of soulmate searching, chocolate muffins, and a lost wedding ring, Paris definitely owns up to its status as the “City of Love,” even during the Olympics.

By the Sunday closing ceremony of the Olympics, China and the United States of America. had tied for most gold medals (40), with the U.S. having the most total medals (126). The 2024 Paris Olympics were no exception to the record-breaking and heartwarming moments that viewers expect of the event, leaving the world excited for what will come next in the 2028 Los Angeles games. 

Information retrieved from Olympics.com, NBC, CNN, The New York Post, NPR, and the Guardian.