The 2024 Paris Olympics have given us world records, awe inspiring moments, monumental firsts for some countries, and typical athletic excellence — as well as the most proposals at an Olympic games ever. What else could we expect from the City of Love? Let’s break down the moments we all actually care about.
- High school sweethearts get engaged
Team USA’s Justin Best won his first gold medal in Men’s Four Rowing, then proposed to his girlfriend, Lainey Duncan, in front of the Eiffel Tower. The couple was surrounded by 2,738 yellow flowers to represent their seven and a half years of communicating via Snapchat every day. Best told People, “I got the gold and the girl, and she got the diamond.” He also admitted after proposing that he was “just as nervous as I was lining up for the start line.”
- Letsile Tebogo’s 200m triumph
After winning gold in the Men’s 200m, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo dedicated his medal to his mother who passed three months prior. Following the race, Tebogo held his sneaker up to the cameras with his mother’s date of birth displayed. Tebogo told reporters, “It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field.”
- We were on a break?
Mixed Doubles Tennis players Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic won gold in Challengers (2024) like fashion. The duo had reportedly been dating for four years before calling it off this July… right before the games… oof. However, the pair was committed to competing together and ended up at the top of the podium.
Machac and Siniakova shared an incredibly passionate kiss following their win on the court, igniting overwhelming debate online concerning the couples’ current relationship status following their Hallmark-esque win. The entire internet has their hopes up that the intimate embrace will lead to a reunion.
- Huang Yaqiong’s very good day
Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong walked off the floor with more than just a gold medal for her country — she also got engaged. Her boyfriend, Liu Yuchen, surprised her with flowers before getting down on one knee to pop the big question. Surrounded by cheering fans, Yaqiong accepted and later wrote, “thanks for making my day” in a sweet Instagram post to her now fiancé.
- Italian high jumper’s endearing apology
Gianmarco Tamberi, Italy’s opening ceremony flag bearer, lost his wedding ring in the Seine River and promptly wrote a heartfelt apology to his wife that could have been penned by Shakespeare. Tamberi spoke of how the ring “will remain forever in the riverbed of the city of love.” He wrote, “If I had to invent an excuse I would never have been this imaginative. I think there could be a huge poetic side behind yesterday’s misdeed and if you want we will throw yours into that river too so that they will be together forever.”
Unfortunately, Tamberi finished second to last in the High Jump finals, after a 10 hour battle with kidney stones and renal issues the morning of the competition. The Italian received a significant ovation from the Paris crowd, which hopefully made up for some of Tamberi’s bad luck at the games.
- The Woodhalls long jump into our hearts
Team USA star Tara Davis-Woodhall won gold in the Women’s Long Jump final, and if there was a medal for cutest celebration, she would have won that too. The gold medallist proudly ran into her Paralympian husband Hunter Woodhall’s open arms for a victorious embrace following her win as he cheered, “You’re the Olympic champion!” over and over. The power couple has viewers everywhere tearing up over their touching embrace.
- Summer McIntosh: household name
Toronto native Summer McIntosh is 17-years-old, and has already competed in two Olympic games: Paris and Tokyo. McIntosh made a big splash this summer, receiving four medals overall, and becoming the first Canadian athlete to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. Her mother, Jill McIntosh, a former Olympic swimmer herself, told Global News that “she [Summer] wanted to get her hand on the wall for Canada.” The McIntosh family celebrations were sweet enough to unite the country for at least a couple of weeks.
- Game recognizes game
Rebecca Andrade received the gold medal in Artistic Gymnastics, becoming the “most decorated Brazilian in Olympic history.” Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles acknowledged greatness, and each sank to their knees to praise the history-making gymnast. “Rebecca, she’s so amazing, she’s queen,” Biles said to reporters at the event. “It was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us. But then Jordan was like, ‘Should we bow to her?’ I told her absolutely. So that’s why we did it.”
- Zhou Yaqin discovers tradition
Following her silver medal win on the balance beam, 18-year-old Zhou Yaqin gave us a glimpse of pure golden retriever energy on the podium. Italian compatriots Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito won gold and bronze, respectively, and used big sister peer pressure as Yaqin adorably followed suit, raising her own medal to her mouth. Competing at the Olympics must have been a nice vacation from running her family’s restaurant as well.
- Who did it better: Mondo Duplantis or Ryan Gosling?
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Desiré Inglander have been taking over everyone’s “for you” feeds on social media lately. The record-breaking pole-vaulter had barely touched the mat before leaping up and dashing over to his girlfriend in the stands, faster than Noah Lyles in the 200m finals. Their embrace could have been a scene from the The Notebook (2004), if Noah was an Olympic athlete and Allie liked sitting in the rain.
The videos of the couple fit perfectly behind Taylor Swift’s “The Alchemy” that fans have been making edits of: “Where’s the trophy? He just comes runnin’ over to me.”
