Top 10 Greatest Moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics — Ranked

French swimming prodigy Leon Marchand became the star of the Paris Olympics by winning four individual gold medals — 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 400m individual medley, and 200m individual medley — in six days. The 22-year-old set three world records in the process, with the home crowd creating an electric atmosphere inside La Defense Arena.

American sprinter Noah Lyles won the 100m Olympic title by the slimmest margin in championship history — 5 thousandths of a second over Kishane Thompson — with a time of 9.784 seconds. The photo finish verdict came two minutes after the race and sent Lyles' celebrations viral, marking America's return to 100m gold for the first time since Justin Gatlin in 2004.

Breaking made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, with b-boy Nicka (Philip Kim of the USA) and b-girl Ami (Ami Yuasa of Japan) taking gold in the inaugural events held on a dramatic stage beneath the Eiffel Tower. The event polarised opinion but drew massive viewership from younger demographics, fulfilling the IOC's goal of broadening Olympic appeal.

The Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony was the first in Olympic history held outside a stadium, with 6,800 athletes parading on 85 boats along the 6km Seine River route through the heart of the city. An estimated 300,000 spectators lined the riverbanks and 1.5 billion watched globally as performers used the city's landmarks as a breathtaking stage.

Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo became a national hero by winning gold medals in both the floor exercise and vault at Paris 2024 — the Philippines' first Olympic gold medals in history. His perfect execution under immense pressure against the world's best gymnasts triggered celebrations across the Philippines and earned him a hero's welcome on his return home.

The women's marathon at Paris 2024 — run on a course taking athletes past the Louvre, Notre-Dame, and through the Bois de Boulogne — produced one of the most dramatic finishes in Olympic history. The race, run in 26-degree heat, came down to a photo finish with Kenya's Hellen Obiri defending her Boston and New York champion credentials.

The Indian men's hockey team claimed Olympic gold at Paris 2024, ending a 44-year drought since the 1980 Moscow Games. Defeating Belgium 3-2 in a tense final, India's victory sparked celebrations of unprecedented scale across the subcontinent and validated years of investment in developing the national program under coach Craig Fulton.