Paris, France, was the destination for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. With over ten arenas in Paris and one competition held in Tahiti, French Polynesia, there were plenty of venues for athletes to show off their athletic prowess.
From weightlifting to skateboarding, 32 sports were recognized this year. Notably, 206 countries participated this year, during which Dominica, St Lucia, Cape Verde, and Albania earned their first-ever medals in any competition.
Issues arose after several athletes contracted a virus while participating in the triathlon in the Seine River. After the men’s and women’s relays in the Seine, the Belgium and Switzerland teams dropped out before the mixed relay on August 5th due to illness. Belgian athlete Claire Michel says she “contracted an illness and expresses that it could have been due to the water, the food, or something else.”
France spent 1.4 billion Euros, roughly 1.5 billion USD, to decontaminate the Seine River from bacteria such as E. coli. After worries grew about the health of athletes participating in the relay, French authorities ensured there was no direct link between the river and the illness.
Training sessions of the swim portion were canceled. The men’s and women’s triathlon was postponed from July 30 to July 31. The mixed relay, consisting of both men and women, continued as scheduled on Aug. 5.
Despite the tough competition from Chinese athletes, the United States dominated from open to close, finishing with 125 medals in total. Of those 125, 40 were gold, 44 silver and 41 bronze. China came next with 91 medals, and Great Britain closed out the top three with 45.
The women of Team USA made a massive statement by earning 67 out of the 125 medals, with 11 of them having multiple medals. Tori Huske took command in the pool and the medal standings, finishing this year’s competition with five medals overall. Simone Biles followed her carefully, earning four medals in total.
Jordan Chiles, a US gymnast, ran into trouble with her bronze medal from the floor exercise final. Chiles will be stripped of her medal and given to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu.
Following the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found the score for Chiles’ performance to be incorrectly adjusted. According to Forbes, “an inquiry filed by her coach that raised her score into bronze medal position was allegedly filed four seconds after the deadline.”
This resulted in Bărbosu receiving third place and Chiles to fourth. Teammate Simone Biles responded to this controversy with inspiring words for Chiles. In an interview with People Magazine, Biles says she has been in close contact with Chiles. She encouraged her teammate to continue striving for the best and not to quit: “…you have to feel all these feelings. Don’t let these emotions stop you.”
While Chiles lost her bronze medal, she did receive the gold that Team USA received for the team competition. The Women’s gymnastics team won five medals, including Simone Biles’ gold and silver medals.
The men of Team USA were not playing games either, with five men medaling multiple times. Most notably, Bobby Finke of the men’s swim team broke the 1500m free record that has stood since 2012 London.
On the Trackside, Noah Lyles attempted the 100m and 200m double, one of the most challenging doubles in track and field. After earning gold in the 100m, he fell just short in the 200m, earning the bronze medal.
Switching gears to skeet shooting, Vincent Hancock medaled in the mixed and individual competitions.
Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik made waves during the men’s all-around final, nailing his skill and helping the team win bronze.
It was another successful Olympic year in Paris, and now all eyes look toward Los Angeles for 2028.
