From Biles to Yee and Bol: 10 great moments at the Paris Olympics

Biles’ brilliant return

Three years after Simone Biles was forced to withdraw from all but one of her Olympic finals due to bends, she returned to produce one of the Games’ greatest comebacks. During nine days of excellence that yielded three gold medals and a silver, Biles notably held off a brilliant challenge from Rebeca Andrade to become the oldest all-around champion ever, at 27. Her comeback underscores the importance of mental health, longevity, sportsmanship, athletes having the freedom to express themselves, and, of course, her own unparalleled brilliance.

Djokovic completes tennis, Murray completes career

At the age of 37, Novak Djokovic arrived in Paris knowing that this was his last realistic chance to win the Olympic gold medal he had always dreamed of. He had endured a difficult year, including knee surgery in June, but Djokovic played an incredible match against Carlos Alcaraz in the final at Roland Garros, winning in straight sets. While his childhood rival triumphed, Andy Murray, one of Britain’s greatest ever sportsmen, ended his career in Paris. He left with some unforgettable memories of his iconic determination and tenacity, partnering Dan Evans, in their run to the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles. Down by five match points in the opening round, they won seven straight points to keep his career alive. They saved two more in the second round before Murray eventually bowed out with a defeat by American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Bol’s mixed relay attack

Femke Bol has established herself as one of the best athletes of her generation with consistent excellence in the 400m hurdles, flat track and relays. The sight of the Dutchwoman chasing down her rivals in the final leg of the 4x400m relay is fast becoming one of the great sights. In this year’s mixed event, Bol took the baton in a respectable fourth place, but produced a ridiculous final leg of 47.93 seconds to flutter into first place and become an Olympic champion for the first time. It was the perfect start to athletics in Paris.

Marchand leaves his mark

Near the end of the men’s basketball quarterfinals between the U.S. and Brazil, the sight of LeBron James on the big screen drew a loud ovation. But then the screen spotlighted Léon Marchand in the crowd, and sheer chaos ensued, with 20,000 people singing his songs and chanting his name even as the match continued. Marchand’s dominance in the pool, with four individual gold medals and one relay bronze, will forever be linked to the Paris Olympics. And he’ll never have to buy his own meal in the city again.

Hocker makes 1500m shock

Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen have somehow managed to elevate the men’s 1500m to one of the toughest events of the entire Games. Since Kerr beat Ingebrigtsen to win the world championship last year, they’ve traded trash talk while continuing to run brilliantly. The problem, they discovered, is that the 1500m is not a two-man race. As they raced through the final 100m, they were both beaten on the inside by Cole Hocker, who secured gold with a shocking Olympic record after an incredible final kick.

The ultra-close 100m for men

Noah Lyles’ mouth has made him one of the most divisive track and field athletes of his time, but this man knows how to step up in the big moments. Lyles beat Kishane Thompson of Jamaica by four thousandths of a second to become the Olympic champion after his world title. The impossibly close race for gold was astonishing enough, but the depth of the field was also immense. Oblique Seville clocked 9.91 seconds but still finished in last place.

Yee’s triathlon comeback

The triathlon always delivers. Even the questionable state of the Seine couldn’t stop a classic, with Alex Yee trailing New Zealand rival Hayden Wilde by 14 seconds at the start of the final lap before coming back to win the battle by more than six seconds. It was all the more dramatic given how the comeback began, with Yee beginning to make up ground on Wilde while he was off camera – a swift turn of events that ended with a gold medal for the Briton.

Records for Sydney and Mondo

In a race billed as a battle between Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol, the 25-year-old American made it clear she was in a class of her own. Her world record of 50.37 seconds in Paris is a respectable time in the 400 metres flat – she would have narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals at the time. 24-year-old Armand Duplantis, the all-time best in his event at such a young age, had the Stade de France in the palm of his hand as he won his second Olympic gold medal in the pole vault before setting his ninth world record – by raising the bar to 6.25 metres.

Hosts’ Rugby Sevens sense sets the tone

The rugby sevens competition was planned early on with the hope that France would set the tone for an incredible Olympic Games to come. They played their rules to perfection and shook off the tension before breaking through and beating Fiji for the Olympic gold medal. Antoine Dupont lived up to his superstar status with a series of thrilling, brilliant solo tries.

Ngamba’s first for refugee team

Cindy Ngamba came to England from Cameroon as a child and has lived there ever since. Before she was granted asylum in the country, she was arrested and sent to a detention centre where she was forced to accept deportation. Despite support from GB Boxing, her applications for British citizenship have been rejected several times by the Home Office. Now she has become the first member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team to win a medal after taking a stunning bronze medal in the women’s 75kg division.