Olympic moments that made us laugh, cry, and cheer at Paris 2024
A Summer Games in the City of Light lived up to expectations of athletes & fans alike
And just like that — in what felt like a blink of the eye — another Summer Olympics has come and gone.
Years of training, mental preparation, and sacrifice, all culminating in a two-and-a-half week showcase of athletic brilliance and dogged determination. It's a non-stop whirlwind for the athletes, spectators, and viewers alike.
While the stadiums, fields, courts and pools now sit quiet across Paris, the greatness displayed in the City of Light this summer will reverberate long after the last team flight takes off.
Each Games has its share of triumphs and heartbreaks — each one the result of athletes striving for greatness with everything on the line. Here's a look at some of the lasting moments from Paris 2024.
Golden Summer
A star is born at every Olympics. And while Canadians were already well-acquainted with 17-year-old swimming phenom Summer McIntosh, millions across the world have now witnessed her once-in-a-generation talent.
Despite the pressure and high expectations that come with being one of the sport's most gifted athletes, the Toronto native stole the show in Paris and became a household name in historic fashion.
McIntosh is the first Canadian to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games, summer or winter, with victories in the 200- and 400-metre individual medleys and 200m butterfly.
Her third win in the fly, in Olympic-record time, tied Penny Oleksiak's Canadian record of four medals at one Olympics.
McIntosh's golden hat trick, along with her silver in the 400 freestyle, helped Canada equal its Olympic record of nine straight days with a medal, which was set at Rio 2016 and matched at Beijing 2022.
And like any athlete pursuing excellence, McIntosh showed us that losing only adds more fuel to a competitive fire already raging inside.
"For my first medal to be silver, I honestly think that really fuelled me for the rest of the swim meet, and kind of knowing what that feels like and never wanting to feel that silver again," McIntosh told CBC's Heather Hiscox with all four medals hanging around the swimmer's neck.
Refugee boxer's historic medal
You wouldn't be the only one who teared up when spectators at Roland-Garros Stadium showered Refugee Olympic Team boxer Cindy Ngamba with applause after her split-decision loss in the semifinals.
Yes, Ngamba missed a chance at Olympic gold. But the result itself marked a historic moment for the 25-year-old Cameroonian-born fighter.
Semifinal losers are automatically awarded bronze medals in boxing, meaning Ngamba's two earlier wins guaranteed her the first-ever Olympic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team, which has competed at three Summer Games.
Ngamba moved to England when she was 11 and trains alongside the British team in Sheffield. She said she was given refugee status two years ago because she could have been imprisoned for being gay in her home country, where homosexuality is illegal and prosecuted aggressively.
"It means the world to me to be the first refugee team member to win a medal. I'm just human, like any other refugee. There are refugees all around the world," Ngamba said.
Ngamba pulled off inspiring upsets against larger and more experienced opponents to secure her medal, including one over decorated Canadian middleweight Tammara Thibeault at North Paris Arena.
In true Canadian spirit, Thibeault and her corner hugged Ngamba, who was overcome with the emotion of winning her debut bout on the Olympic stage.
"It means the world to me being here and I am sure it means the world to people all around the world, not even athletes, that are going through life with so many issues and obstacles, they don't believe in themselves, and feel like it's the end of the world," Ngamba said after her opening win.
"I hope they can see that with anything in life that I went through I was able to overcome it."
Feeling the love
The return of spectators meant athletes could get the full Olympic experience that was denied to so many three years ago in Tokyo.
Just ask Swedish pole vault superstar Armand "Mondo" Duplantis, who broke his own world record while capturing gold in front of a raucous crowd at Stade de France. The stadium erupted in cheers as Duplantis soared over the bar on his third and final attempt of 6.25 metres — a dramatic finish for the defending champion.
"What can I say? I just broke a world record at the Olympics, the biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter," Duplantis said. "[My] biggest dream since a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I've been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I've ever competed in front of."
Or how about 51-year-old skateboarder Andy MacDonald of Team Great Britain? He didn't earn a high enough score to reach the men's park final, but the crowd's reaction to his performance would make you think he finished first.
With skating legend and longtime friend Tony Hawk looking on, MacDonald appeared to turn back time with a pair of clean runs that elicited the loudest cheers of the day.
The clear fan-favourite held up a five and one with his fingers toward the camera before dropping into the bowl for the final run of the preliminaries.
His ensuing series of tricks were followed by a shout of pure elation, having accomplished his improbable goal of competing at the Olympics. Hawk beamed with pride as he joined the chorus of roaring applause, with MacDonald closing his eyes to soak it all in.
"A rush of emotion, just every emotion you can think of, like relief and excitement and just like adrenaline just comes out, and you're just like, 'Oh, we're here. We did it. It's the Olympics.'," MacDonald said.
And despite being one of the greatest vert skaters of all time, MacDonald said his Olympic moment could be the pinnacle of his long career.
"This might be it. This might be 'the one'," he said. "Just to stay on my board, do the run I wanted to do."
Gold-medal stunner
Canada tied its record at a non-boycotted Olympics with seven gold medals in the French capital, but the one that will be talked about for years is the shocking win in the men's 4x100-metre relay.
Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and star anchor Andre De Grasse delivered perhaps the best Canadian moment of the entire Games, pulling off what seemed impossible after posting the slowest qualifying time.
De Grasse, who didn't make the 100 and 200 finals, dug deep while dealing with a hamstring injury to outsprint the field to the finish line at Stade de France.
The magical moment was also a historic one for De Grasse, who matched Oleksiak's national record with his seventh career Olympic medal.
"It's amazing. To team up with these guys… to end the Games like this, with a gold medal," De Grasse said. "We all talked about this moment. It's a complete set, we got the bronze in Rio, Tokyo we got the silver.
"Now it's like icing on the cake to get the gold medal with these guys. It's an incredible feeling and a great way to end the Games."
Going viral
And how could we forget the athletes that captivated our attention for reasons other than golden glory.
There was U.S. gymnast Stephen Nedroroscik, now known to many as 'pommel horse guy.'
He took home two bronze medals in his Olympic debut, but it was his bespectacled, nerdy appearance that made him a breakout star and viral sensation.
Nedroroscik drew comparisons to Clark Kent as he ditched his glasses to reveal his true identity as an athletic Superman on the pommel horse. He finished third in the individual event before helping the U.S. men's team win its first Olympic medal since Beijing 2008.
Turkish sport shooter Yusuf Dikec was also the talk of social media, standing out from his competition for his casual attire and sharpshooting skills.
While most air pistol competitors wear specialized eyewear, ear protection and other gear, the 51-year-old Dikec looked like he just got off his flight — with a now-iconic shooting stance to match.
Wearing regular prescription glasses, with his left hand in his pants pocket the entire time, Dikec appeared unflappable as he helped Turkey earn silver in the 10-metre mixed team event.
Along with being the subject of memes, Dikec's stance also inspired gold-medal celebrations in Paris.
Duplantis, along with Australian pole vaulter Nina Kennedy and Jamaican discuss thrower Roje Stona, recreated the Dikec pose after their wins.
Perseverance on the pitch
The Canadian women's soccer team overcame daunting odds to reach the quarterfinals after FIFA's six-point penalty for the drone spying scandal involving head coach Bev Priestman and team staff.
Facing a must-win scenario in back-to-back games against host France and Colombia, Vanessa Gilles scored the winner in both to keep the defending champion's medal hopes alive.
"The one thing that we can control, the one thing that's in our grasp is the pitch," Gilles said after sending Canada to the quarterfinals. "That's something that they can't take away from us as much as they tried."
The memorable and determined run of Canada's women's squad ended in a heartbreaking penalty-kick loss to Germany, but the Tokyo gold medallists left no doubt about their ability to drown out the noise and overcome adversity — creating a joyous moment for the Canadians watching.
Djokovic completes elusive Golden Slam
The world watched with bated breath as tennis legend Novak Djokovic was on the cusp of beating Carlos Alcaraz for gold in the men's singles tournament, a triumph that would mark one of the biggest moments in a career chock full of accolades.
Despite his record number of men's Grand Slam titles and reign as king of the tennis world, the Olympic gold medal and career Golden Slam it would complete had eluded him for years.
With his family watching courtside, Djokovic let out a celebratory scream before covering his face after winning the match, overcome with intense emotion and the sudden reality of an accomplished dream.
"Three out of four Olympic Games, I lost in the semifinals. I won a bronze medal in Beijing, which was my first Olympic Games. I carried the flag for Serbia in 2012, in London, which was one of the best feelings I ever had in my life, in my professional tennis career," Djokovic said.
"I didn't know until today that there's even a better feeling, which is winning a gold for your country. I couldn't be prouder and happier. Playing for Serbia has always been my upmost, real pleasure, priority."
More Canadian Olympic firsts
Along with McIntosh's historic haul in the pool, Canada had a handful of other golden firsts that made waves in Paris.
Eleanor Harvey outduelled heavy favourite Alice Volpi of Italy to win Canada's first-ever fencing medal, a sport the country has competed in at seven straight Olympics.
And It came as just as much of a shock to Harvey as it did the sporting world.
"I feel like I'm in a dream. I feel like somebody spiked my drink or something. That's a joke. Sorry, I'm not funny right now. I'm in shock," Harvey said.
The 29-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., was strong throughout the Games, also leading Canada to a fourth-place finish in the women's team foil event.
World champion hammer throwers Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers made it clear that Canada throws best by also winning Olympic gold in the men's and women's events — the country's first-ever in both.
Camryn's Olympic gold medal also marked the first by a Canadian woman in athletics since 1928, beating the silver medallist by 1.49 metres on her fifth of six throws.
"To be on that podium and to hear the national anthem, it's something that I feel like I've dreamed of for so long," Rogers said.
Katzberg, just 22 years old, ultimately won it all with a dominant opening throw of 84.12 metres, less than a metre shy of the Olympic record and just 2.62 metres short of the nearly 38-year-old world record.
"I can count myself an Olympic champion for the rest of my life. That's a really special moment. I'll always remember this day; it's incredible," Katzberg said.
Christa Deguchi, with Canada's first-ever Olympic gold medal in judo, and Phil 'Wizard' Kim, with the first-ever Olympic gold in men's breaking, were also among the record number of Canadian Olympic titles in Paris.
Sprint canoeist Katie Vincent became the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold in the sport, which also gave Canada its eighth gold and 25th medal overall — both new national records for a non-boycotted Games.
Canada finished with nine gold and 27 medals, surpassing the seven gold and 24 medals from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
But there are so many more moments from Paris 2024 that will be worth reliving over and over again, even as the years pass and new Olympic stars begin to shine.
The boisterous sounds of the lively Paris venues will echo in our minds, etched in memory along with the smiles of athletes who made their dreams come true.
