Here is how you will remember the 2024 Paris Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympics ended with the stunt-filled closing ceremony on Sunday night. The emergence of new heroes, emotion-filled moments, flashes of individual brilliance, cut-throat rivalries, controversies, and heart-stopping events is what the 16-day extravaganza provided the fans with.

China-USA medals race

Unlike the previous games, the race between China and the USA for the most gold medals went down to the final day, adding further spice to the competition. Both nations ended with 40 golds each but on the virtue of more silver and bronze, the USA finished on top with 126 medals, to China’s 91.

Earlier, the USA trailed China by one gold before their victory in the women’s basketball final against the hosts France leveled the tally in the most dramatic of circumstances.

New sports

Break dancing and kayak cross were the other two sports that made their maiden Olympic appearances in the recently concluded event.

Breaking, famously known as breakdancing, made its debut with the women's competition. According to AFP, the sport featured 17 dancers known as B-Girls going head-to-head in a series of battles. However, the sport’s appearance at the Olympics could be a brief one having already been dropped from the Los Angeles 2028 program with no guarantees to return in the future.

Japan break dancer Ami in action during the B-Girls final (left) and a scene of Kayak Cross.AFP

Apart from break dancing, the kayak cross managed to provide unique and exciting spectacles in Paris. The sport is played with a small, narrow boat using a double-bladed paddle. Four boats are simultaneously pushed off a ramp placed more than two meters above the water.

Simone’s greatness and Marchand’s epic rise

The 27-year-old American artistic gymnast won three golds and a silver to stamp her authority as one of the greatest in her sport.

Meanwhile the 22-year-old French swimmer became a darling of his nation, bagging four golds and a bronze in the 2024 Games. Marchand clinched a gold at the 400m individual medley on Day 3, and on the fifth day, he managed two golds under the duration of two hours.

Djokovic’s dream Gold

From the disappointing early exit of Rafael Nadal, the retirement of Great Britain’s Andy Murry on a sad note, and Novak Djokovic’s dream Olympic gold, the game of tennis witnessed many highs and lows.

The 14-time French Open champion, Nadal, lost to his rival Djokovic in the second round, and in doubles, he went down in the quarter-final against USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Murray, who remained out of the top competitions in recent years, also lost the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, considered the next big star in tennis, bagged a silver. Whereas the 37-year Djokovic, managed to secure his much-awaited Olympic Gold, beating Alcaraz in the nail-biting final by 7-6, 7-6.

After the Olympic triumph, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced plans to build a museum dedicated to the great Djokovic.

Double delight for Dutch in hockey

In first-of-its-kind, the Netherlands witnessed a double delight in field hockey. The Dutch women’s hockey team, which also bagged a gold in the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, defeated China in the final to win their fifth gold.

On this occasion, the men’s team also emerged on top. They defeated Germany in the nail-biting final by 3-1 on the penalty shoot to avenge their 2012 London Olympics final loss.

Netherlands men's hockey after winning gold (left) and women's team after beating China in the final.Reuters