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The 2024 Paris Games kicked off with a rainy boat ride down the (sorta-safe?)
Getty Images/Andy Cheung and Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain
Seine River and an emotional performance by Celine Dionher first since beingdiagnosed with stiff person syndrome.
The Golden Girls lived up to their name.
Katie Ledecky proved her dominance at long distancesand became the most decorated US female Olympian ever.
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 30: Biles Simone, Carey Jade, Chiles Jordan, Lee Sunisa and Hezly Rivera of Team United States celebrate after winning the Artistic Gymnastics - Women’s Team Final on day 4 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Bercy Arena on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Sheng Jiapeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Some Olympic races are won by a fraction of a second.
But swimmer Katie Ledecky won the second-ever womens Olympic 1500-meter freestyle race by more than 10 full seconds.
No other athletes were evenvisiblein the frame when she touched the wall.
Andy Cheung/Getty Images
She now holds the 19 fastest times in the history of the event.
Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav brought the hypealong with special guests like Martha Stewart and Jill Biden.
The worlds best athletes proved you’re free to also be good people.
03 August 2024, France, Versailles: Olympics, Paris 2024, equestrian sport, dressage, team, final, US rapper Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart ride a golf cart. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa (Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)
No one gets to the Olympics without really wanting to win.
One of the most memorable examples is the love between Biles and Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade.
The pair have gone head-to-head for years but always have kind words about each other.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 02: Lucia Moris of Team South Sudan lies injured on the ground as Silina Pha Aphay of Team Lao People’s Democratic Republic checks her conditions during the Women’s 100m Preliminary Round on day seven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 02, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
And there were countless other such moments.
Lauren Scruggs became the first Black American woman to earn an individual Olympic fencing medal.
Its hard to be gay and present yourself confidently in all spaces.
Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
I think its important Im doing that in fencing.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaks her own world recordagainto win gold in the 400-meter hurdles.
Needless to say, she deserved that crown her family put on her head after her finish.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 08: Gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of Team United States celebrates winning with the new World Record after competing in the Women’s 400m Hurdles Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Whats more, McLaughlin-Levrone wasnt quite finished in the Stade de France.
And many of Team USAs other sprinters also shone bright.
On August 6, Thomas won the 200 meters in a time of 21.83 seconds.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 09: Sha’carri Richardson, Twanisha Terry, Gabrielle Thomas, Melissa Jefferson of Team United States celebrates winning the gold medal after competing in the Women’s 4x100m Relay Final on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Social media gave us a closer look behind the Olympic scenes than ever before.
But others soared to viral fame during the Games, like Norwegian distance swimmer Henrik Christiansen, a.k.a.
(Olympiansthey stan their sports idols, just like us!)
Kristen Faulkner of the United States celebrates after the women’s road race of cycling road at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 4, 2024. (Photo by Hu Huhu/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Cyclist Kristen Faulkner proves its never too late to start a sport.
While some winners, like McLaughlin-Levrone, were expected, others came as a shock.
CyclistKristen Faulkneris firmly in the second category.
LYON, FRANCE - AUGUST 6: Sophia Smith of the United States celebrates her goal with teammates Mallory Swanson, Sam Coffey, Lynn Williams and Trinity Rodman during the Women’s semifinal match between United States of America and Germany during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Lyon on August 6, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
For one thing, she only started biking seven years ago.
And then theres the fact that she wasnt even supposed to compete in the event in the first place.
Even with the late call-up, Faulkner dominated, winning gold by nearly a minute.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 09: Olivia Reeves of Team United States performs a clean and jerk during the Weightlifting Women’s 71kg on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at South Paris Arena on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
And two days later, she won gold again in team pursuit.
Sifan Hassan pulls off an incredible triple feat.
Add it all up, and thats 38.5 miles of fast running.
TOPSHOT - Chile’s Zhiying Zeng plays a return to Lebanon’s Mariana Sahakian during their women’s table tennis singles preliminary round at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the South Paris Arena in Paris on July 27, 2024. (Photo by JUNG Yeon-je / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
Triple Espresso powered womens soccer back to gold.
Wed order one of those, for sure!
And American basketball reigned supreme.
Weightlifter Olivia Reeves did some heavy lifting to end a US medal drought.
Across sports, women competed at older ages.
Yes, Reeves is still in college, andteenagers stood atop skateboarding podiums.
Volleyballer Jordan Larson came out of retirement to return to her fourth Games at age 37.
And even Biles, whos 27, is older than the teen gymnasts of the past.
And they were open about the health conditions they managed along the way.
Her swimming teammate Simone Manuel spoke about coming back fromovertraining syndrome.
Sprinter Brown discussed herendometriosisand Noah Lyles shared more about hisasthma.
All in all, women just kept on crushing itand were so glad we tuned in.
And thanks to streaming, tens of millions of people tuned in.
That buzz weve been feeling around womens sports?
Its real, and itsspectacular.
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