With the flame extinguished, the 2024 Olympic Games have come to an end. In my lifetime, I’ve been privileged to watch nine Olympiads, starting with Barcelona in 1992. And I have to say, Paris has been one of my favorites.

Since London in 2012, the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games have been fraught with controversy. From cost overruns to eleventh-hour venue construction, poor planning to the overreach of oppressive host governments, doping scandals and of course a global pandemic, the Olympic Movement has had a rough twelve years. But these games felt like a much-needed reset. The Paris Games were the first to emerge from a new model by which the International Olympic Committee selects host cities. And though this new model is surely temporary, the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad served as a glowing endorsement of it.

From venues to athlete accommodation, Paris got it done. And though there were controversies surrounding the Olympic Village, for once they were issues we could smile at. The French insisting on restricted calorie intake and no air conditioning for athletes was a far cry from unfinished rooms and persistent surveillance. And through it all, the French showed that they could be open, welcoming, and friendly, while still being persistently French. The result was the kind of charming experience the Olympic Games have sorely missed for the past decade.

As with all great Olympic Games, Paris 2024 served up plenty of drama, as well as moments of sportsmanship great and small, and harrowing stories of human achievement and perseverance. And, for the first time in far too long, those wonderful moments weren’t muted by the looming concerns surrounding the Games, their hosts, and an uncertain future.

Reading about the history of the Olympic Games is a rewarding experience, but I’ve learned over the years too much of the moment is lost in pages of bland summary. Paris 2024 was defined by some truly incredible moments; ones that the history books might forget, but are worth remembering.

The Great Moments of Paris 2024

American golfer Scottie Scheffler has had a career marred at times by controversy. But he returns from Paris an Olympic Champion. Footage of Scheffler, a decorated professional golfer, tearing up while listening to the national anthem made the airwaves across the United States: an enduring reminder of how much the Olympic Games mean.

After Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade beat out Americans Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles for gold in the ladies’ floor exercise, US disappointment was muted by Olympic history being made: the first gymnastics podium featuring only black women. Though Chiles was later stripped of her bronze due to a technicality, this image will endure. And, like Gabby Douglas’s historic gold in Rio, will inspire a whole new generation of young African American girls to pursue a career in gymnastics.

Going into Paris 2024, Saint Lucia had never won an Olympic medal. Now, thanks to Julien Alfred, they have one, and it’s gold. Amid a crowded field including American star Sha’Carrie Richardson, a young woman from a tiny Caribbean nation of less than two hundred thousand became the fastest woman on Earth.

In the men’s 1500 meter, Josh Kerr of the UK and Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway were the heavy favorites. After a war of words leading up to the Olympics, everyone wondered which of them would win the race. As it turns out, it was neither of them. After a heroic late push, American Cole Hocker took gold, becoming only the third US man in history to win the race. His teammate Yared Nuguse took bronze, marking the first time American men had taken two of the three medals in the event in over a hundred years.

American track star Noah Lyles became the first US man to win the 100 meter in twenty years. Heavily favored in the 200 meters, Lyles struggled to a third-place finish before collapsing on the track. It was later revealed he’d been diagnosed with COVID several days earlier. A lifelong sufferer of asthma, battling COVID, Lyles still managed to snag bronze.

Moments That Made Us Laugh

Turkey’s Stone-Cold Shooter

Turkish silver medalist Yusuf Dikeç took the internet by storm with his relaxed attire and unnervingly casual shooting stance. Images of him seeming relaxed while squeezing off pistol rounds went viral, with some going so far as to ask if Turkey had sent a contract killer to the Olympics.

At it turns out, Dikeç is no contract killer. He’s a former sergeant in the Turkish Gendarmerie (military police) who began sport shooting in 2001. At 51, he is also Turkey’s oldest Olympic medalist in history, and when not shooting he spends time with his young daughter (who he is teaching how to fire a sport pistol) and his cat.

Dikeç, who jokingly told the official Olympic page “success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets”, is a powerful reminder not to judge a person based on their appearance.

“Superman”

During the men’s gymnastics team event, there was one member of Team USA who stuck out to viewers. Maybe it was because he was the only one wearing glasses. Maybe it was because he was the only one still wearing his jacket. Maybe it was because not only did he not seem to be doing anything, but at one point he actually seemed to be asleep.

“Glasses guy”, as it turned out, was Stephen Nedoroscik. Nedoroscik specialized in a single event: the pommel horse. And it turns out he’s really, really good at it. Once his team reached the pommel horse, Nedoroscik shed his glasses, and shined.

Thanks to his performance, Team USA’s male gymnasts won bronze, marking their first team medal since 2008. His transformation upon removing his glasses earned him a new nickname among American fans: “Superman”. Incidentally, Nedoroscik didn’t know about his sudden stardom until he was reunited with his girlfriend following the event, who asked if he’d checked his phone.

When he did, he discovered his name was #5 on Twitter’s list of trending topics.

B-Girl Raygun

Paris saw the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic sport. It was exciting, and though “breaking” won’t be on the programme in LA in 2028, no doubt it will return as an optional sport in the future. But that will be in spite of the efforts of one athlete.

Amid the splashy names like B-Girl Nicka, B-Boy Victor, Syssy and Phil Wizard, Australia’s female breaker stuck out: a thirty-six year old university professor named Rachael Gunn. Known professionally as “B-Girl Raygun”, Gunn holds a degree in what’s called “Cultural Movement”.

Unfortunately, it turns out Gunn dances exactly as well as one would expect a millennial academic to dance. Her baffling performance, featuring her writhing on the floor, touching her toes, hopping like a kangaroo, and striking a “T-Rex” pose, left fans laughing and scratching their heads. Though she even busted out “The Sprinkler”, Raygun finished without a single vote. When asked about her performance, the head of the Australian Olympic Committee could only say, “I admire her courage”.

The Restoration Games

In the end, perhaps the best part of Paris 2024 was that there was a familiarity to it. After the incredible statement of the opening ceremonies, it played out like so many Olympic Games before it. Even the closing ceremonies, with its interpretive dance and live orchestra in an enormous stadium, felt familiar. But it wasn’t repetitive, like something that’s grown tired and old. It was comforting, like pulling on a favorite shirt you found in the back of the closet.

I can remember, when looking ahead in 2012 at the upcoming Olympic and Olympic Winter Games, feeling a sense of uncertainty. I wanted the games to succeed in Sochi, in Rio, in Pyeongchang, Tokyo, and Beijing. But of the five, Tokyo was the only one I truly had high expectations for. And lord knows I couldn’t have imagined what would happen then.

Now, the outlook for the Games couldn’t be more different. Over the coming decade, we’ll see the Olympics travel well-worn paths. The Games will visit familiar places, held in cities that have plenty of existing venues, as well as the financial resources and crucial experience to make sure everything goes well. We won’t have to worry about spying, or press being curtailed, or whether the paint will be dry on the venues. We won’t have to read stories about an Olympic host country invading its neighbors, or interning its minorities. We won’t see the Olympics perverted, used as a cynical attempt to hide a nation’s atrocities behind a veneered smile.

For the first time in far too long, the stories of the undertones at the Olympics were positive. Prior to the Games, France was facing the same bitter political divisions that have plagued so many western democracies. In the wake of the Games, the French people have emerged with a newfound sense of purpose. And a new unity.

Ultimately, it felt like the message of Paris 2024 was simply this: it’s okay. Finally, the Olympics were able to do what they were meant to do: shine a ray of hope on the world. And though two weeks of sporting events isn’t enough to help hope win again in our world, at least it helped to remind us that things are looking up. That hope can, and will, win again. And the tide is turning.

The past year has been a hard one for me personally, for some of the same reasons so many others have felt hopeless. But these Games, even more so than past ones, were reaffirming for me. They were a potent reminder of the value of perseverance, of refusing to give up, however long it takes to accomplish your goals. And they were a reminder that, no matter how dark things get, everything can be put right again.

And so, with a heavy but hopeful heart, my Olympic posting comes to an end…for now. Another thing I’ve realized over the past few weeks is that the Olympic Games are a part of me. They are one of several things, including both science and science fiction, that form a cornerstone of my identity as a person. And that part of me is one I haven’t shared with my readers. Whenever the Olympics are on, the rest of my life is put on hold. So, hence forth, I plan to post about the Games. If it’s all I can think about, then it’s what I’ll write about.

Until the flame burns again, dare to dream. – MK