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In just one week, the Paris 2024 Olympics have brought fans to tears in the stadium and at home with sweet broadcast cameos and adorable messages dedicated to the athletes' loved ones.
The 2024 Games began on July 26 with an extravagant — some call it “over-the-top” — opening ceremony in the City of Lights, welcoming competitors from around the world and ushering teams through the River Seine in boats. Performances by Lady Gaga and Celine Dion sparkled as the Olympic torch was lit, heralding the start of this year’s competition.
Since then, the Paris Games have proven historic, with athletes like American swimmer Katie Ledecky breaking world records and setting the pace for her sport. Of course, Simone Biles' return to the Games after her unexpected loss at the Tokyo Olympics would have been notable in its own right, even if she hadn't claimed first place in the women's all-around gymnastics final or cemented Team USA's triumph in the women's team final, which she did.
Unparalleled talent and sportsmanship aside, Paris has already been a rollercoaster of emotions, providing unforgettable moments outside of competition. From Gianmarco Tamberi’s touching letter to his wife after dropping his wedding ring in the Seine to Ryan Murphy’s baby gender reveal, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have brought with them as many heart-warming moments as they have groundbreaking victories.
Here are all the sentimental moments from the Paris 2024 Olympics so far.
Gianmarco Tamberi's wedding ring
In the middle of the opening ceremony, Italian Olympic flag bearer Gianmarco Tamberi lost something of great value: his wedding ring. While cycling along the River Seine with his teammates, the Olympic high jumper saw his wedding ring fly into the water. What would normally be considered a moment of despair, Tamberi saw as a moment of hope and a harbinger of something better.
In an emotional Instagram post, the athlete wrote a romantic note of apology to his wife. “I’m sorry, my love, I’m so sorry,” he began. “Too much water, too many kilos lost in the last few months or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing.”
“Probably all three, just the fact that I heard her, I saw her fly… I followed her with my eyes until I saw her bouncing inside the boat. A ray of hope,” he continued. “But unfortunately the bounce was in the wrong direction and floating more than a thousand times in the air I saw her dive into the water as if that was the only place she wanted to be.
“These were moments that lasted an eternity. But if it was meant to be, if I am really going to lose this faith, I couldn’t imagine a better place. It will remain forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flying as I tried to carry the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world.”
And he concluded: “If I had to invent an apology, I would never have been so imaginative. I think there may be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and if you want, we will also throw yours into that river, so you will be together forever and we will have one more excuse to, as you have always asked, renew our vows and get married again.”
Katie Ledecky's young fan
On July 31, Team USA's Katie Ledecky claimed victory. The 27-year-old swimmer broke the record time in the 1500-meter freestyle race and finished in first place for Team USA with a time of 15:30.02. She received her 12th gold medal, tying Natalie Coughlin for the most gold medals received by Team USA.
As the stadium roared with excitement, their family and friends cheering with them, their biggest fan appeared to be a little girl in the stands who was displaying a whirlwind of emotions. In footage shared online, the little girl is seen cheering Ledecky on as she exited the pool, screaming in shock. The young fan was left speechless, her mouth agape. “Oh my God. Wooooo,” she screamed, falling back in her chair as she clutched the American flag at her side.
“Katie Ledecky just made this girl’s life,” one X user, formerly known as Twitter, wrote alongside the video, which has already garnered more than a million views. Another viewer commented: “What a lucky fan. An amazing moment she will remember forever.”
On Instagram, Coughlin wrote: “I couldn’t love this more. It’s so cute!!!”
Team USA wins women's gymnastics team final
Following her triumphant comeback from being eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles did not make it to Paris, nor did her teammates. Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera took gold on July 30 in the women's gymnastics team final. The competition featured four rounds (vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor), with three members of each team scoring. At the last second, Biles elevated her team to first place with her spectacular, high-difficulty floor routine.
As the Biles girls waited anxiously by the mat, Lee, Chiles, Carey and Rivera ran alongside them, clutching an American flag for when their qualification announcement came. When the time came, and the U.S. received an overall winning score of 171.296, the girls ran to the top of the platform, holding the flag in the air. All five had tears in their eyes and big smiles on their faces in a moment they weren’t sure would be possible after the Tokyo Games.
Ryan Murphy's baby's gender revealed
For Team USA’s Ryan Murphy, winning bronze meant finding out the sex of his unborn child. In the 100-meter backstroke final on July 29, Murphy finished third, earning him a spot on the podium ahead of his pregnant wife, Bridget Konttinen. After his performance, Konttinen shouted from the stands: “Ryan, it’s a girl!”
Speaking to The Associated Press After the touching moment, Murphy recalled his wife’s sudden and unexpected announcement. “I was walking back and Bridget was holding a sign that said, ‘Ryan, it’s a girl,’” he explained. “That was the first time I heard the gender.
“We both honestly thought it was going to be a boy. And everyone, like everyone we talked to, thought it was going to be a boy,” she added.
Jordan Chiles' supportive parents
The 23-year-old gold medalist competed in her final Olympic event on July 30 during the women’s team final, and performed a captivating floor routine that helped propel Team USA to first place. Feeling the weight of her performance, Chiles was seen in tears of joy after the final beat of her Beyoncé medley played. It was over, her Olympic performance was over, and if she wasn’t proud of herself, her parents sure were.
As the cameras panned to her family in the stands, her mother Gina burst into tears while her father Timothy let out a wild scream, throwing his arms into the air. Their daughter had just scored a 13.966 on her floor routine, the third-best overall performance of the competition, and they couldn't contain their happiness.
Photos of the proud parents circulated online, prompting fans at home to feel sentimental just looking at them. “They made me cry with them! Ugh I love this for her! GO USA!” wrote one excited X-user. Alongside a picture of Gina and Timothy, another social media viewer admitted: “That's when I started crying.”
