Best storylines from the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad from Paris, France brought fans to the many venues after the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games did not have any, and those who went to Paris saw some memorable feats that defined how the Games went.

5. Katie Ledecky four-peats in women’s 800m freestyle

Ledecky has dominated the 800m freestyle ever since she first won it as a 15-year-old at the London Olympics in 2012. Since then, she had gone on to compile the top 16 times in history including three straight Olympic gold medals and six straight world championships.

This year’s Olympic final would be her toughest test so far. Ariarne Titmus of Australia had already beaten Ledecky in the 400m freestyle and had drastically improved in the 800m since the last Olympics.

Titmus stayed with Ledecky for most of the race with Ledecky holding a slight lead. However, Ledecky would pull away in the last 200 meters to win the gold medal.

With the win, she joined Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to win four straight gold medals in the same event, and she joined Vincent Hancock, Mijaín López, Carl Lewis, Al Oerter, and Paul Elvstrøm as the only other athletes to win the same event four times. - Jacob Rudy

4. U.S. women’s national team back on top

When former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was hired in November 2023, it was decided she would begin her tenure in May, giving her only two months to prepare the USWNT for the Olympic soccer event.

Before Hayes was hired, the USWNT took bronze in the Tokyo Games, then fell in the Round of 16 against Sweden in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The United States began the Paris Games women’s soccer tournament by going 3-0 in group play, then defeated Japan and Germany in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, 1-0 with both matches going into extra time.

At Parc des Princes on August 10, against Brazil in the gold medal match, forward Mallory Swanson’s goal in the 57th minute gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.

The USWNT’s gold medal in Paris was its first since the 2012 London Games, its fifth overall and ninth world championship. - Owen Klein

3. Léon Marchand takes four golds in men’s swimming

French star Léon Marchand burst onto the scene at the 2023 world championships when he shattered Michael Phelps’s world record in the 400m IM. He started his meet with another dominant win in the event.

Then came the 200m butterfly where he passed world record holder Kristóf Milák with less than 25 meters to go to win his second gold medal. Less than two hours later, he took the gold in the 200m breaststroke to become the first swimmer to ever win those two events.

His last individual event would be the 200m IM, which he won dominantly and was .06 seconds off the world record.

The hometown hero was the first swimmer to win four individual events since Michael Phelps in Beijing when he broke the record with eight total gold medals. - Rudy

2. Simone Biles returns with three golds in women’s gymnastics

After two medals in the Tokyo Games, Simone Biles withdrew because of a mental block called the “twisties”.

Many eyes were on Biles at Bercy Arena in Paris three years later, including those of Tom Brady, Serena Williams and Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens.

Biles would immediately face adversity, as she injured her left calf during warmups on July 28, but she would go on to participate in her floor, vault and uneven bars events that day.

Biles won golds in the women’s artistic individual all-around, women’s artistic team all-around and women’s vault events in Paris.

Biles also won a silver in the women’s floor event, finishing behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who also won four medals in Paris.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Biles, though, as she failed to win a medal in the women’s balance beam and uneven bars, finishing fifth and ninth, respectively. - Klein

1. Noah Lyles wins men’s 100m

Before Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 on August 6, he won the men’s 100m on August 4 at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Lyles edged Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by .005 seconds (9.874 to 9.879), the closest Olympic 100m finish in the modern era, which goes back to 1896.

Lyles believed he won gold when he crossed the finish line, while Thompson did not.

Fred Kerley, Lyles’ U.S. teammate, took the bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds.

Lyles would win only one other medal, a bronze in the men’s 200m, the race marred by his COVID-19 diagnosis.

Lyles did not run the men’s 4x100m relay, a race in which the United States was disqualified for running out of the zone due to a handoff miscommunication. - Klein

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.

Jacob Rudy is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jar7371@psu.edu.