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In a year when Gen-Z is dominating the competition by giving unprecedented behind-the-scenes access on social media, some of the most unforgettable moments from the 2024 Olympics have come in the most unexpected of ways.
After the subdued atmosphere at the last games thanks to Covid and its strict social distancing rules, it feels like there is a renewed sense of excitement around this summer’s competition.
From the defining photo of the Games so far, to the anonymous lifeguard sending the internet into a frenzy, these are the top moments that have gone viral and catapulted some athletes to, err, unexpected international fame.
Stephen Nedoroscik: the pommel horse guy who loves a Rubik’s cube
Obsessed with this guy on the US men's gymnastics team who's only job is pommel horse, so he just sits there until he's activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years. pic.twitter.com/0D1ZqJjFa1
— Megan 📚 (@MegWritesBooks) July 29, 2024
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Err, no — and it’s not quite Superman either. But thanks to his cool composure and spectacled appearance, Team USA gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik went viral and quickly became known as ‘pommel horse guy’.
Unlike his Olympic teammates who compete in all of the different gymnastics events, Nedoroscik’s only job is pommel horse. As summarised by one user on X (formerly Twitter): “He just sits there until he's activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years.”
Nedoroscik failed to qualify for Tokyo 2020 after falling off the pommel horse at the Olympic trials, so his success in Paris is a story of redemption. But the nerdy alter ego that’s helped him win the hearts of the internet doesn’t end at the glasses he wears: the gymnast shared to social media that during his downtime in the Olympic village, he’s been staying occupied with a Rubik’s cube, which he can solve in under 10 seconds — this year’s Tom Daley knitting moment?
Gabriel Medina: the surfer behind the defining photo of Paris 2024
We’ll start by answering a couple of questions: yes, surfing is an Olympic sport. And no, the athletes haven’t been cresting waves in the Seine. This year’s Olympic surfing event took place in the glorious waters of the South Pacific on the shores of Tahiti, which is a French territory. It’s only the second time surfing has been included in the Olympics, after debuting at the last games three years ago.
It’s been an exciting event so far, with a whale getting in on the action as Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica took part in the semi-final. But even a photobomb from a humpback couldn’t outshine the incredible photo that was taken of Brazil’s Gabriel Medina.
In what is sure to become one of the defining images of this year’s Olympics, Medina can be seen defying gravity above the waves with his surfboard perfectly parallel and sporting a surprisingly calm composure considering he’s floating in the air. Medina had to settle with bronze in the end, despite being tipped as the favourite — but at least he’s got the ultimate photo to immortalise the moment forever.
Simone Biles: the comeback queen earning claps for her clapbacks
She’s the gymnast whose name is on everyone’s lips — this year more than ever. After being forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games due to mental health concerns, Simone Biles has come back in a big way.
The four-foot-eight sensation has been open about her experience in Tokyo, explaining that she suffered from a condition known as the ‘twisties’ — when the brain and body become out of sync and the athlete gets lost in the air. It can be potentially fatal, with gymnasts performing complex stunts on unforgiving apparatus, so Biles chose to withdraw from the competition.
As she explains in her new Netflix documentary Simone Biles Rising, the seven-time Olympic gold medallist has spent the past three years prioritising her mental health and carefully getting back to the sport. Now, she’s dominating once more and has already helped Team USA take gold in the team event. She’s also within touching distance of claiming the record of winning the most golds of any gymnast, male or female, in history. She’s only two medals away, with the current record, held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, sitting at nine.
I love my black job 🖤 https://t.co/c5wPc6xOY3
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 2, 2024
While celebrating her team’s gold medal win in Paris, Biles took to social media to give a message to the doubters. She received a lot of hate after bowing out of Tokyo, and her former teammate MyKayla Skinner recently made comments in a video posted online about the “work ethic” of the current Team USA gymnasts. In an Instagram post celebrating the win, Biles chose the caption “lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions” as a nod to Skinner’s comments. Skinner has since apologised for the video, which was swiftly deleted, but Biles’ post went viral and gathered over four million likes.
This isn’t the only viral clapback Biles has made during the Games so far. Last week, she took a swipe at former POTUS Donald Trump, tweeting “I love my black job” after winning the individual all-round gold medal in a nod to Trump’s recent comments about immigrants “taking black jobs”. She’s had 1.2 million likes on the tweet so far.
Bob the Cap Catcher: the anonymous lifeguarding hero
Anybody else rooting for “Bob The Cap Catcher” in Paris today? Just me? I can live with that. 💙💙💙😂😂😂 Go, Bob! pic.twitter.com/35MyNXq6LU
— Betsy N (@betsyrnewman) July 29, 2024
If ever you feel like you’re superfluous in your job, just remember that there are lifeguards at the Olympics. Of course, even the most competent swimmers in the world have the potential to need saving, but on this occasion, it wasn’t a swimmer in distress that caused one of the Olympic lifeguards to spring into action.
Donned in tiny, floral Speedos and looking suspiciously like Joe Lycett (who has a habit of pulling large-scale pranks), a lifeguard who has now been dubbed Bob the Cap Catcher dove into the pool to pluck out a rogue swim cap. The internet whipped itself into a frenzy over the anonymous hero, with one netizen commenting: “Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they show up in cute swimming pants”, while another commented: “Thank you for your service Bob!”
The nickname looks to be here to stay, as the lifeguard has requested to stay anonymous and won’t be cashing in on his 15 minutes of fame. Keep up the good work, Bob.
Giorgia Villa: the gymnast sponsored by Parmesan
Olympic silver medalist and Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa is sponsored by parmesan cheese and takes many of her photos while posing with large wheels of cheese pic.twitter.com/klx8PEuFPN
— Women Posting W's (@womenpostingws) July 31, 2024
What could be more Italian than posing with giant wheels of Parmesan? Well, that’s exactly why Italian gymnast, Giorgia Villa, went viral this year thanks to a former sponsorship deal with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Villa became an ambassador for the cheese shortly before the Tokyo Olympics, and now the press shots have gone viral. In one, the gymnast can be seen doing the splits across four huge wheels of Parmesan. In another, she’s hugging the cheese like it’s a dear friend (we’ve all been there).
Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to reduce the decorated athlete to her dealings with the dairy industry. After narrowly missing out on competing in Tokyo due to a sprained ankle, Villa has made a comeback in Paris and helped her team win silver in the Women’s Artistic Team All-Around Final, Italy’s first medal in the category for nearly 100 years.
Snoop Dogg: the unlikely celebrity pundit
The Tokyo Olympics were memorable for a lot of the wrong reasons. Among them: Simone Biles having to withdraw, and social distancing rules meaning athletes were isolated and unable to compete at their best. But one good thing to come out of the 2020 Olympics was rapper Snoop Dogg and comedian Kevin Hart’s colourful commentary of the dressage event.
It was something that no one had on their Olympics bingo card, but quickly became a hit online thanks to the pair’s hilarious comments and unique take on the event. “The horse is crip walking, you see that?” the rapper and record producer says at one point, referencing a dance move that originated in his native California.
Clearly, Snoop Dogg has a second calling as a sports pundit, and was invited by NBC to work on their broadcast of this year’s edition of the games. His antics have all gone viral: he’s had a swimming lesson from Michael Phelps, he’s provided commentary on both horse riding and fencing, and has been enjoying time with his best friend Martha Stewart.
The rapper’s viral moments have certainly paid off for NBC, who are reportedly paying him up to $15 million (just shy of £12 million) for his work in the hopes of securing lucrative TV ratings. Sounds like it’s working.
Henrik Christiansen: the Olympic village’s own muffin man
Henrik Christiansen 🇧🇻: Aka "the muffin man". First of all he is like the funniest and nicest guy ever. The chocolate muffin has been all over my fyp and I will never get over it. Saw him swim to and he was amazing. Very happy for him! pic.twitter.com/VuJ5LmXUY7
— isi (@calglitter) August 7, 2024
Do you know the muffin man? No, not the one who lives on Drury Lane — the one who lives in Norway. That’s right, swimmer Henrik Christiansen has declared himself the “Olympic muffin man” after his TikToks about the chocolate muffins in the Olympic village went viral.
In a video that has over 17 million views, a teammate references a popular meme saying: “I feel like you’re only here for the muffins” as the camera switches to a view of Christiansen mid-bite, with chocolate smeared around his mouth. In fact, he’s posted several now-viral videos about the muffins, with the original being a video in which he rates different foods in the Olympic village, giving the chocolate muffins “11 out of 10”.
The 27-year-old athlete may have missed out on any medals this year, but his new-found fame is sure to keep him busy — and might just give him a tidy side income if Olympic swimming doesn’t work out.
Anthony Ammirati: the pole vaulter who gained fame for his... baguette
If @nastypig and @bikeathletics aren’t fighting over sponsoring Anthony Ammirati right now, somebody’s not doing their job. pic.twitter.com/89c4Q5bn47
— Rob Salerno (@robsalerno) August 3, 2024
The pole vault event has gone viral for a couple of reasons this year. Swedish athlete Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis made the stadium go wild with his incredible performance — he achieved gold with a world record jump of 6.25m, having inched ever higher over the past few years.
However, the world’s attention was quickly diverted when French athlete Anthony Ammirati took to the platform. In a moment that no one saw coming, the Frenchman looked set to score a medal — only to be foiled by his own anatomy. As he flew through the air, his genitals appeared to ricochet off the bar, knocking it to the ground along with his medal hopes.
Unsurprisingly, videos of the unfortunate incident sent the internet into a wild frenzy, to the point that even the commentators weren’t sure what to say. “Oh he brought that baguette to the games,” said one social media user. Another commented: “Loses vault. Wins internet.”
Ammirati has reportedly been offered $250k (£200k) to “get his pole out” by an adult entertainment site, which has only fuelled the furore around his package. Let’s maybe ignore the fact that when you watch the footage back, it was actually his leg that knocked the bar.
Quan Hongchang: a perfect 10
17-year-old Chinese diver, Quan Hongchan, wins gold with a dive so flawless the water doesn't even splash, scoring a perfect 10/10 from a panel of all 7 judges
— Women Posting W's (@womenpostingws) August 6, 2024
pic.twitter.com/4RrW6chZLR
Tom Daley and his knitting are usually the highlight of the diving competition for us Brits. But this year, our attention has been firmly elsewhere (sorry, Tom). Despite the fact that many of the Olympic divers have sent the internet into overdrive with their budgie smugglers, it was Quan Hongchang who created a heart-stopping moment with her dive.
The 17-year-old diving sensation from China won gold this year with an incredible score of tens across the board. The moment that no one could believe? Her dive was so flawless that the water didn’t even splash. This wasn’t Hongchang’s first golden moment either: she took first place in Tokyo when she was only 14.
Her teammate, Zheng Haohao, has also caught the attention of netizens as China’s youngest ever Olympian. She’s so young that she didn’t compete at the 2012 London Games, because she hadn’t been born yet. Haohao came into the world the day before the closing ceremony, perhaps a fitting prophecy for her sporting future.
Quan Hongchan after wining a gold medal for her perfect dive that received 10's from all the judges pic.twitter.com/jFbI2kTDhi
— Women Posting W's (@womenpostingws) August 8, 2024
Seven proposals and a lost wedding ring
The Olympics is undoubtedly the pinnacle of any athlete’s career, so with heightened emotions and the City of Love as the venue, it’s no surprise that no less than seven Olympians got engaged during the Games this year.
Some of the pairs even compete together, with China’s badminton mixed doubles athlete Liu Yuchen getting down on one knee to propose to teammate Huang Yaqiong, and Argentine handball player Pablo Simonet proposing to fellow Team Argentina athlete Maria Campoy, who is a field hockey player.
French athlete came in fourth in the 3000m steeplechase, a European record, and asked for her boyfriend's hand ...pic.twitter.com/ofs9DocirE
— Figen (@TheFigen_) August 7, 2024
But while rings were being handed over left, right and centre, one couple had the opposite problem. Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi managed to do the unthinkable and lost his precious wedding ring in the Seine. It was while he was acting as flagbearer for the nation during the opening ceremony, and the ring slipped off his finger as the boat he aboard floated down the river.
Luckily, the Italian managed to make the best of a bad situation, with his heartfelt apology to wife Chiara going viral. “Too much water, too many kg lost in the past few months or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing,” he wrote, explaining how he had lost the ring.
Managing to turn a negative into a positive, Tamberi drew attention to how apt it was that his wedding ring is now on the riverbed of the City of Love and that it happened while he was in the midst of an emotional and patriotic moment. He concluded his love letter by saying: “I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday's misdeed, and if you want, we'll throw yours into that river, too, so they'll be together forever”. Who said romance is dead?
Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn: the Australian breakdancer
Breakdancing, or ‘breaking’ as it's known within the community, has become a viral sensation at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Introduced for the first time this year, it turns out that the sport’s Olympic fame will be short-lived as it’s already been announced that it won’t be returning for the next games in 2028.
The decision came before the event even began, and before the unforgettable performance of Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn — who goes by the nickname Raygun. In a moment that stunned fans and broke the internet, Gunn performed a series of moves which ranged from impressive to jaw-dropping.
Judges made the right call here because what was that move lol #Olympics #Breakdancing pic.twitter.com/sXAs9AdHjX
— MⓞNK BLOODY P👑s (@MonkeyBlood) August 9, 2024
Her act quickly went viral due to the unconventional moves, with countless memes and jokes being spawned. “This is what my nephew does after telling all of us to ‘watch this’” said one. “This is me trying to get out of bed with cramp” said another.
The Australian, who has a PhD in cultural studies specialising in breaking, wasn’t only mocked for her unusual style but her outfit (“I feel like Raygun… may have done better if Australia hadn’t insisted she dress like a tennis line judge”).
But while the 36-year-old may have divided fans, Gunn has defended her performance and its artistry. She told People: “All of my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me.” Gunn doesn’t seem phased by the attention, writing on social media: “Don’t be afraid to be different. Go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you."
She has even caught the attention of Adele, who shouted out the performance at her Munich concert this weekend. “I am not saying anything, but I think it's the best thing that has happened at the Olympics for the entire time,” the singer told her fans.
“I can't work out if it was a joke but either way it has made me very very happy and me and my friends have been s***ing ourselves laughing for nearly 24 hours,” she added. “I just wanted to know if you have seen it. If you haven't seen it please leave the show and Google it because it is LOLZ.”
