US' Simone Biles competes in the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on August 5, 2024. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)
PARIS: There were many contenders to be crowned stars of the 2024 Olympic Games which wraped up yesterday.
AFP Sports looks at some of the best:
Simone Biles
Biles proved as popular a draw as the Eiffel Tower, the 1.42m bundle of brilliance standing tall on her return to the Olympics after the trauma of Tokyo.
In Japan she was forced to withdraw from most of the Games with a debilitating mental block known as the “twisties”. Three years on, watched by an enraptured full house at Bercy Arena including her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga, Biles resumed the gold run she had begun at Rio 2016.
The 27-year-old pipped Rebeca Andrade for the coveted all-around crown on her last tumble on the floor. That was book-ended by titles with the US team and vault -- where she executed her Yurchenko double pike, the Biles II, her sixth eponymous skill.
Stumbles on the final day as tiredness -- both mentally and physically -- set in left her with silver behind Andrade on the floor. In a mark of her class as a person she bowed to the Brazilian on the podium.
Leon Marchand
A new star was born in the Paris pool with Leon Marchand enthralling packed houses at La Defense Arena by completing a feat not seen since the days of Michael Phelps.
The 22-year-old emphatically won all four of his individual races -- the 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke and 200m-400m medley double.
It thrust him into elite company as the first male swimmer to do so at a singles Games since the American legend in 2008.
In an ominous warning, Marchand said “it’s only the beginning”, with his sights already set on Los Angeles in 2028.
US’ Noah Lyles celebrates on the podium.
Noah Lyles
Lyles arrived in Paris shouting about wanting to cement his legacy as the rightful heir to Usain Bolt. The American did win a 100 metres that will live long in the memory, edging Kishane Thompson of Jamaican by five thousandths of a second.
But he looked out of sorts in the 200m as Letsile Tebogo emphatically won to deny him the sprint double, then revealed he had tested positive for Covid.
He was therefore sidelined as the Americans flopped and were disqualified in the 4x100m relay.
Bolt, in contrast, won sprint doubles and the relay at three successive Games, only losing one relay gold due to a teammate’s doping case.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses with his gold medal.
Novak Djokovic
At the age of 37, Novak Djokovic finally won an Olympic gold medal to go along with his 24 Grand Slam titles.
The Serb defeated Carlos Alcaraz, 16 years his junior, in a memorable final at Roland Garros where has already been crowned French Open champion three times.
Djokovic achieved his dream the hard way -- having to defeat career-long rival Rafael Nadal in the second round in the pair’s 60th meeting.
He then overcame aggravating a knee injury which had needed surgery in June during his quarter-final win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic said he wants to defend his title at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles when he will be 41.
“I love the drive, every day, every week of training my body, perfecting my game, improving myself still at this age,” he said.— AFP
