Nearly three months have passed since the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and looking back on the games this year, they left a lasting impression. With new additions such as huge sustainability efforts, new sports, famous locations and inclusivity, this past summer’s Olympics resonated with all different kinds of people from every corner of the world.
This year, the Olympics averaged 30.6 million viewers, which is more than both the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics, giving it one of the highest average viewerships in Olympic history. This year, there was truly something for everyone tuning in, and many fans were finding out about sports they’d never seen before. The adrenaline, medals and a sprinkle of controversy made the Paris Olympics Memorable for many.
The newest Olympic sport, breakdancing, made its official debut and captivated the audience, but for the wrong reasons. Rachael Gunn of Australia, better known as Raygun, faced harsh criticism and even became a meme for her performance at the games. She infamously failed to score a single point and finished second to last with the only competitor below her being disqualified. Her unique moves won the hearts of many over the internet, though, and despite her performances, she controversially became the number one ranked breaker in the world by World DanceSport Federation.
The organizers of the Paris Olympics were focused on halving emissions and making the event’s footprint much more sustainable than in the past. 95 percent of the venues used were already existing within France to minimize construction and waste.
The rest of the venues that weren’t already there were temporarily assembled and will be taken down for reuse at some point after the event. The new venues were made in response to what local areas needed so that they would be able to be reused and not wasted. Organizers also incorporated sustainability measures, such as planting trees and using plastic seats made from recycled bottle caps.
Throughout all of the excitement and emotions, tons of records were smashed and medals were won.
“What stood out to me the most was definitely the runners. Just how explosive they were was very impressive,” junior Riley Wacker said.
Sydney McLaughlin set the world record for the women’s 400m hurdles with a blistering time of 50.37 seconds. The US mixed 4×400 team also set the world record with a time of 3:07.41. There are many more world records the US set, but one of the most noteworthy is the men’s 4×400 record. Quincy Wilson became the youngest Olympic track and field gold medalist ever at 16 years old. He earned the medal due to his performance in the qualifying heat, despite not running in the finals. The US team recorded a world-record time of 2:54.43.
All in all, this was a very memorable Olympics. The 2024 Paris Olympics will be remembered for a long time.
