Olympic moments that made us laugh, cry, and cheer at Paris 2024
CBC
And just like that — in what felt like a blink of the eye — another Summer Olympics has come and gone.
Years of training, mental preparation, and sacrifice, all culminating in a two-and-a-half week showcase of athletic brilliance and dogged determination. It's a non-stop whirlwind for the athletes, spectators, and viewers alike.
While the stadiums, fields, courts and pools now sit quiet across Paris, the greatness displayed in the City of Light this summer will reverberate long after the last team flight takes off.
Each Games has its share of triumphs and heartbreaks — each one the result of athletes striving for greatness with everything on the line. Here's a look at some of the lasting moments from Paris 2024.
A star is born at every Olympics. And while Canadians were already well-acquainted with 17-year-old swimming phenom Summer McIntosh, millions across the world have now witnessed her once-in-a-generation talent.
Despite the pressure and high expectations that come with being one of the sport's most gifted athletes, the Toronto native stole the show in Paris and became a household name in historic fashion.
McIntosh is the first Canadian to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games, summer or winter, with victories in the 200- and 400-metre individual medleys and 200m butterfly.
Her third win in the fly, in Olympic-record time, tied Penny Oleksiak's Canadian record of four medals at one Olympics.
McIntosh's golden hat trick, along with her silver in the 400 freestyle, helped Canada equal its Olympic record of nine straight days with a medal, which was set at Rio 2016 and matched at Beijing 2022.
And like any athlete pursuing excellence, McIntosh showed us that losing only adds more fuel to a competitive fire already raging inside.
"For my first medal to be silver, I honestly think that really fuelled me for the rest of the swim meet, and kind of knowing what that feels like and never wanting to feel that silver again," McIntosh told CBC's Heather Hiscox with all four medals hanging around the swimmer's neck.
You wouldn't be the only one who teared up when spectators at Roland-Garros Stadium showered Refugee Olympic Team boxer Cindy Ngamba with applause after her split-decision loss in the semifinals.
Yes, Ngamba missed a chance at Olympic gold. But the result itself marked a historic moment for the 25-year-old Cameroonian-born fighter.
Semifinal losers are automatically awarded bronze medals in boxing, meaning Ngamba's two earlier wins guaranteed her the first-ever Olympic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team, which has competed at three Summer Games.
