After 19 electrifying days, the 2024 Paris Olympics drew to a close on Sunday. Records were smashed and new stars were created as the best athletes from across the world showcased their talents in front of the world.
The United States of America continued their domination as they emerged as the best-performing nation for the fourth edition in a row narrowly beating China to the top spot. India, however, endured a topsy turvy Games with a few historic wins to go with many heartbreaking near-misses.
The writers at The Field look back at the past two weeks and describe their favourite moment from the Paris Olympics.
Vinesh Phogat stuns Yui Susaki
Vinesh Phogat drawn against the undefeated Yui Susaki in her opening round? It was only going one way.
Atleast, that’s what one was most likely to believe when the draw for the women’s 50kg was announced. The Japanese had never lost an international bout and the four-time World Champion and reigning Olympic champion was the favourite.
Yet, Phogat created history in her first round in Paris to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the wrestling world. She had handed Susaki her first ever international loss.
The same Susaki who had not conceded a single point en route her gold at the Tokyo Olympics was stunned. The same Phogat who had some painful memories in her two Olympics appearances was the stunner in question.
To some, Phogat’s reserved and cautious style may have appeared predictable especially since any small mistake could have allowed Susaki to capitalise. However, Phogat was biding her time as she trailed 0-2 for most of the match.
But with just 20 seconds remaining, Phogat shifted her strategy and after spending most of the bout on the defensive, she made her first and only aggressive move and it proved to be decisive.
She launched forward, executing a takedown that secured a stunning victory. With just 3 seconds to go, Susaki was left stunned.
Also read: Vinesh Phogat’s battles off the mat lead to greater triumphs on it
Things took a turn for the worse the next morning as Phogat was disqualified after qualifying for the final, but it doesn’t take away that she pulled off an upset for the ages.
Arshad Nadeem strolls into the 90s
By Shahid Judge
Arshad Nadeem has thick, broad shoulders that are accentuated by his towering 6-foot-3 frame. But in his demeanour, in his attire and in his words, he keeps a low key.
His run-up, as he gets set to throw the javelin, is not the longest – at times alarmingly short. His sprint is not the quickest. And his reactions are deadpan.
He stuck to the script etched with simplicity last week despite pulling off a major piece of athletics history.
Dressed in a green singlet with the word ‘Pakistan’ printed neatly on the front and a pair of black trackpants, he ran through the short run-up before launching his javelin further than anybody else under the Parisian twilight. The digital scoreboard at the Stade de France read 92.97 metres. A new Olympic record in the men’s javelin.
Nadeem raised his arms in triumph but with a straight face. Moments later he turned away and covered his face as the emotions flowed.
In that one throw, his second of the night, Nadeem had laid down a marker. A new yardstick for excellence at the Olympics.
Also read: Neeraj Chopra continues to build on his great sporting legacy in Paris
Earlier this year, Nadeem had undergone knee surgery to repair the brutal strain his event puts on the legs. Once he overcame that, he struggled to get enough funds to purchase a new javelin.
In Paris, he came ready.
A simple man from humble beginnings, perhaps the only time he really did show off was with his last throw. Once again a nonchalant charge up the field, once again a casual toss of the javelin. And once again he crossed 90.
Arshad Nadeem was not the man people expected would win, but the gold medal is what he deserved.
Give ‘em free healthcare America
By Abhijit Nair
Ariana Ramsey won the women’s rugby sevens bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics for the United States of America. The Pennsylvania native assisted in the last-minute try Alex Sedrick scored to help her team to the podium, beating defending champions Australia at the Stade de France.
While such a heroic moment would have propelled Ramsey to overnight fame in a country like India, the 24-year-old’s claim to fame has been for entirely different in her home country.
In a fornight in Paris, Ramsey has grown into a social media star. Not for her sporting exploits, but somewhat as a healthcare influencer.
Ramsey, who got to know of free healthcare for athletes at the Olympic village after her roommate got glasses, spent her free time at the Games enjoying said free healthcare.
She’s gotten a pap smear test, a teeth cleaning, x-rays, an eye exam, and new glasses during her time in the Olympic village. Ramsey has even been documenting her journey on her social media platforms, propelling her to fame.
Such has been her impact that she was recognised by fellow athletes and fans for her videos.
“It’s official, I’m the healthcare girl,” Ramsey posted in a video. “I made it, I’m famous.”
They might have the most medals, but affordable healthcare is a dream for many in the United States.
The Olympic Games have been providing free healthcare to athletes since the 1932 Games in Los Angeles. With the Games slated to return to the country in 2028, let’s hope things turn for better in the first-world nation.
When the world stopped for Mondo
By Tanya Kini
25-year-old Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, a Louisana native representing his mother’s country Sweden, had been crowned the Olympic champion in men’s pole vault with a height of 6.00m on Tuesday, August 6.
The gold medal was already confirmed and celebrated in front of photographers gathered there with Duplantis mimicking the shooting pose of Turkish silver medallist Yusuf Dikeç’s ‘hand-in-pocket’ pose.
But on that Tuesday night, as the remaining track and field events wrapped up, there were still fireworks in store for the people watching in the Stade de France.
Sam Kendricks of the USA and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece were both fierce competitors, but could do nothing in front of the nonchalance displayed by the Swede en route to his second Olympic title. In that moment however, Kendricks and Karalis, who took silver and bronze home respectively, were also just spectators.
The main mission accomplished, Duplantis asked for the bar to be placed at the Olympic record height of 6.10m. A run-up bolstered by the cheering of an entire stadium and the perfect technique to flip himself over the bar – the Olympic record was broken.
Just for fun and egged on by Kendricks who guided the stadium in support like an affable conductor of music, Duplantis then asked for the bar to be set at 6.25m. The world record at that time was 6.24m, set by the Swede himself at the Diamond League back in April.
To the tune of ‘Mondo, Mondo, Mondo’ chanted by over 75000 people, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion flipped himself over the bar and the crowd went wild.
All for the sake of one man’s childhood dream, the world witnessed a moment of iconic sporting history.
Mijaín López, One of One
He might be known as ‘El Terrible’, Spanish for The Terrible, but Cuba’s Mijaín López laid claim to the title of the greatest Olympian ever at the Paris Olympics.
Standing at over 1.96m tall and weighing more than 130kg, López became the first athlete to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event after he clinched the title in the men’s 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling event.
Going into Paris, López shared the record for most Olympic gold medals at the same event with Carl Lewis (long jump), Michael Phelps (200m medley), Katie Ledecky (800m freestyle), Al Oerter (discus throw), Paul Elvstrom (sailing) and Kaori Icho (wrestling).
At 41, López was not the clear favourite to win the title in Paris. He had been semi-retired after Tokyo 2020 and had suffered four herniated discs. But the Cuban laid down the marker in the quarter-final when he defeated Iran’s reigning World Champion Amin Mirzazadeh.
In the final, López was up against a friend in Yasmani Acosta. Though born in Cuba, Acosta switched his nationality to represent Chile because as long as López was around as the top dog in Cuba, Acosta would never be able to wrestle for international glory.
López triumphed 6-0 against Acosta with the latter paying tribute to López saying, “He has been giving me advice in every phase, so he's everything, a rival, a friend, he's a brother.”
What makes López’s achievement even more extraordinary is that the Cuban outscored his opponents 98-5 during his run of five consecutive gold medals.
When asked to describe each Games success, he said: “Beijing - youth; London - transcendence, Rio - effort; Tokyo - sacrifice; Paris - joy.”
“To achieve all of these results, one has to love their sport, love their job, and demonstrate to the world that with so little you can achieve great things,” he added.
One of the lasting images from Paris will be López taking off his shoes and putting them in the centre of the wrestling mat at the Grand Palais Éphémère to signal his retirement once and for all.
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