Black excellence takes center stage at the Paris Olympics 2024
Image: Premium Times Nigeria
It feels like just the other day that we all spent an unreasonable amount of time (4 hours!) watching all the athletes jubilantly waving their country flags as they made their way down the Seine in the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics. The two and a half weeks that followed gifted us with moments of athletic brilliance, teamwork, sportsmanship, a few laughs, and if you’re anything like us, a fair amount of joyful tears as well. Now that it’s all over and we’re left with an Olympic-sized hole in our lives, let’s relive some of our favorite moments from the Paris 2024 Summer games!
There’s no better place to start our recap than with the incomparable Simone Biles! After inspiring us all with her mental health advocacy, the undisputed gymnastics GOAT had an incredible Olympics winning three gold and one silver medal. With a total of 11 Olympic medals, she has solidified her status as the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history.
Video: Team USA
Sticking with gymnastics, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade stole our hearts when she became the most decorated Brazilian Olympian in any discipline. Andrade's incredible talent is all the more inspiring considering her humble beginnings in Brazil, where as a young athlete she would walk for hours to practice. The newly crowned floor exercise gold medalist reminded us all that "...if you want to make it happen, you can do it." We also got to witness the first all-Black podium in gymnastics history shared by Rebeca Andrade who took gold, and USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles.
Video: 11 Alive
South Sudan men's national basketball team gained many new fans as they made their Olympic debut. Former NBA player Luol Deng started the Luol Deng Foundation to help South Sudanese refugees, like he once was, to thrive through basketball. In 2020 Deng became president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, and took the dream of raising the profile of South Sudan’s basketball team to the next level. Although the team lost to Serbia attempting to make it out of the knockout rounds, it is clear that their future is bright.
Another proud milestone for Africa in basketball was achieved by Nigeria women's national basketball team, also known as the D'Tigress. Led by Coach Rena Wakama, who ultimately won the Best Women’s Coach award for the tournament, the team earned the respect and admiration of many fans with their incredible run. Although they were ultimately defeated by number one ranked USA, the fiery D’Tigress made history as the first African team to make it to the Olympic quarterfinals.
Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijaín López Núñez retired in style, remaining unbeaten at the Olympic Games since Beijing 2008. After winning a record fifth gold medal in the event, Núñez, 41, placed his boots in the center of the mat to symbolize his retirement. “I turned in what we call ‘our weaponry,’” he said in an interview. “When one turns in their wrestling shoes, they are leaving behind a journey where from a young age they have carried out that work.”
Video: TaiwanPlus News
Letsite Tebogo made history for Botswana after winning the country's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics. At just 21 years old, the young athlete stunned the favorite, USA’s Noah Lyles, in the 200 meter finals winning gold with an impressive time of 19.46 seconds. Tebogo, who tragically lost his mother just a few months ago, ran with her birthday attached to his running shoes to honor her memory. "It's basically me carrying her through every stride that I take," he said after the race. Tebogo also went on to run the anchor leg in the men's 4x400-meter relay, leading Botswana to earn the silver medal in the event.
Also sprinting her way into the record books was Saint Lucian runner Julien Alfred who won the gold medal in the 100 meters event with a time of 10.72 seconds, and proudly earned Saint Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal. "It means a lot to me," Alfred said after the race. "I definitely knew that Saint Lucians would be watching and hoping that they could get their first Olympic medal. I'm sure they're celebrating right now." Alfred added to the tally by also winning a silver medal in the women's 200 meters event.
The final gold medal of the Paris Games was awarded to the incredible Sifan Hassan who fittingly won the marathon in a record breaking 2:22.55. “I feel like I am dreaming," Hassan said. "I only see people on the TV who are Olympic champions. The marathon is something else, you know. When you do 42 kilometers in more than two hours and 20 minutes, then every single step you feel so hard and so painful." Not only did Hassan win a gold medal in her favorite event, she also managed to clinch a bronze medal in both the 5000-meter and 10,000-meter races, running an astonishing 38 miles (62 kilometers) over the three events.
P.s. if you’re craving more moments like these, don’t forget that the Summer Paralympics Games, also hosted in Paris, will soon begin and run from 28 August to 8 September.
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