PARIS: From a colourful and sometimes controversial opening ceremony to boxers locked in a gender-based dispute and respectful bows on the gymnastics podium, the 2024 Olympics offered plenty of memorable moments.
AFP Sport Check out 10 of the best:
It rains during the inaugural parade
The organisers had promised a spectacular opening ceremony and the rain-soaked parade of boats on the River Seine ended up making headlines around the world, but not for the reasons expected.
Djokovic's roar of approval
Novak Djokovic stunned Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable men's final to claim tennis gold and become only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of four majors plus Olympic gold.
The 37-year-old celebrated with a roar that echoed throughout Roland Garros before the tearful Serb made his way to the players' box to embrace his wife Jelena and two children.
“There is no greater inspiration than representing your country,” said the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Alcaraz also cried and said that he had “let Spain down.”
Pakistan beats India in javelin throw, but it's not cricket
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the men's javelin title, his country's first individual gold at an Olympic Games, with a Games record of 92.97m.
In second place was defending champion from India, Neeraj Chopra.
“There is rivalry in cricket matches and other sports, but it is good that youngsters from both countries are watching our sport and following us. It is a positive thing for both countries,” Nadeem said.
Viral selfie between North and South Korea on the podium
Images of Olympic table tennis players from North and South Korea taking a selfie together on the medal podium have gone viral in South Korea, hailed as a rare display of cross-border unity.
After South Korea won bronze and North Korea silver in mixed doubles behind China, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon took a group photo after the medal ceremony.
North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, South Korea's Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha were beamed to Lim's phone, a Samsung made in South Korea.
“A selfie with the national flags of both Koreas and a Samsung phone,” said the widely read JongAng Ilbo newspaper.
Dreams come true Trew
Australian skate sensation Arisa Trew, just 14, won the women's park event and became her country's youngest ever gold medallist.
Trew performed a high-risk, high-speed final round in his trademark pink helmet, bringing the crowd to its feet in a sun-drenched Place de la Concorde.
Also participating in the event was 11-year-old Zheng Haohao, the youngest athlete ever to represent China at the Olympics.
“Skateboarding at the Olympics is not much different from skating in my neighborhood. There are just more spectators,” he told reporters.
Female boxer facing gender dispute overcomes bullying
On a raucous night at Roland Garros, the historic home of the French Open, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold and used her platform to hit back at “attacks” and “bullying” before defiantly declaring: “I am a woman like any other.”
Along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who also fought in Paris, Khelif was disqualified from last year's world championships after failing gender eligibility tests.
However, they were allowed to compete in Paris, setting the stage for one of the biggest controversies of the Games.
“I am fully capable of participating, I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman and I competed as a woman,” said the 25-year-old.
High five for the Cuban fighter
Cuban wrestler Mijaín López made Olympic history by becoming the first athlete to win five consecutive individual golds in the same event, surpassing the records of Games icons such as Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps.
The young man, who will soon turn 42, then placed his shoes in the centre of the carpet to indicate his intention to retire.
“Wrestling has been the love of my life, my entire life,” he said.
Cold hand Yusuf
Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist Yusuf Dikec became an overnight sensation for his casual style during the competition.
The striking pose showed the shooter wearing standard glasses, a team jersey and with his left hand casually tucked into his pocket.
Other than his gun, he had none of the specialized equipment that athletes use in this hyper-precision test, such as headphones, special glasses or a hat.
“My name is Dikec. Yusuf Dikec,” read one post on social media, referring to film icon James Bond.
Biles bows to 'queen' Andrade
Simone Biles may have been the star of the show, but she was widely praised for bowing to archrival Rebeca Andrade on the podium.
Biles said it was “the right thing to do” after she and teammate Jordan Chiles finished in the silver and bronze medal positions respectively behind the Brazilian in the floor final.
“Rebecca is amazing, she's the queen,” Biles said.
Romania's Ana Barbosu was later awarded the bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chiles should not have been promoted from her initial fifth place.
Lyles just in time
World champion Noah Lyles roared to victory in 9.79 seconds to claim gold in a dramatic Olympic men's 100m final in the tightest finish in modern history – just five thousandths of a second separated him from Jamaica's Kishane Thompson.
“I'm the man among them all. I'm the wolf among wolves,” said Lyles, whose victory was only confirmed after a photo finish.
