The best moments from the Paris Olympics, from first-time medalists to messages of peace

The National rounds up some of the best feel-good moments from the Games, including good sportsmanship and history makers

B-girl Talash of the Refugee Olympic Team reveals the message 'Free Afghan Women' during her pre-qualifier at the Paris Olympics. Getty Images

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The Olympics bring together the best athletes from around the world.

As with every Games, there are always breakout stars who steal the show in their respective sport and feel-good moments as people from different backgrounds unite to showcase exceptional sportsmanship. This year's Paris Olympics have been no exception.

The sporting event continues until August 11 and there have been plenty of memorable moments and inspiring stories. Here’s a look at some of the best so far.

Women supporting women in gymnastics

US gymnasts Simone Biles, left, and Jordan Chiles, right, bow down to Brazil's Rebeca Andrade during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's floor exercise event. AFP

Artistic gymnastics is one of the most watched sports at the Olympics. In a show of true sportsmanship, US gymnasts Simone Biles and Jordan Chile, who finished second and third respectively on the floor exercise, bowed down to Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade as she walked up to the gold medal podium during the medal ceremony. Andrade narrowly defeated Biles by only .033 points.

“I think it's all about sportsmanship, and we don't care whether we win or lose. We're always going to keep a good face and support our competitors because they've worked just as hard as we have for that moment,” Biles said on the Today show.

“So you have to give them their flowers,” she continued. “And that's exactly what me and Jordan were doing, and we were so happy for her. She deserved it. She had the best floor routine of the day and in the Olympics. So it's like, yeah, she deserved it.”

Afghan B-girl shares message to the world during inaugural event

Refugee Olympic Team's Manizha Talash, known as B-girl Talash, competes in the women's breaking dance qualifying round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AFP

Afghanistan’s first female Olympic breakdancer Manizha Talash took the opportunity on the world stage to share one message: Free Afghan Women. Competing for the Refugee Olympic Team, she had the message emblazoned in large letters on a blue cape she wore underneath her jumper during her performance as breaking made its Olympics debut.

Talash lost her initial pre-qualifying battle but was later disqualified because political statements and slogans are banned from the Olympics. Although originally from Kabul, she now lives in Spain after fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

“I wanted to show people what is possible,” she told reporters.

John Lennon’s Imagine calms players during a tense moment in a gold medal match

During the gold medal match in women’s beach volleyball, players from Brazil and Canada got into a finger-pointing shouting disagreement during the tiebreaking third set. The referee tried to keep the peace but it was the stadium DJ who helped cool things over by playing John Lennon’s Imagine over the PA system.

The players relaxed by smiling and laughing as the crowd applauded, sang along and even swayed their arms to the song.

“We‘re competitors and we are fighting for the same thing: There’s only one gold medal,” Wilkerson said during a post-match news conference. “Immediately after the game, it’s all love and respect. We bring out the best in each other, and I’m honoured to play against this team.”

Cuban wrestler retires after winning five consecutive gold medals

Mijain Lopez of Cuba removes his shoes to signify his retirement after winning his fifth Olympic gold medal. Getty Images

Mijain Lopez made history by winning an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 130kg bracket. This makes Lopez the first and only athlete in modern Olympics history to win five consecutive gold medals in the same event with his previous wins at the Tokyo 2020, Rio 2016, London 2012 and Beijing 2008 Games.

One of the flagbearers for Cuba during the opening ceremony, Lopez defeated his friend and former training partner Yasmani Acosta. He then re-entered the ring after celebrating with his coach to unfasten his laces and hang up his boots for the final time in the centre of the mat at Champ-de-Mars Arena as he waved goodbye to the crowd.

“It was time to say goodbye at the mat,” Lopez told reporters. “What better opportunity is there for me to be here at a final match, to be able to fight with a fellow brother, and to win at an Olympic Games? There is no better way to say goodbye at the Olympic Games than to leave the door open for the next generation.”

British rower pays tribute to her late father

Great Britain's gold medallists Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw celebrate winning the women's quadruple sculls rowing. AFP

Lola Anderson won a gold for Britain as a member of the women’s quadruple sculls crew. She was visibly emotional as she recalled her journey to the podium, and how her late father Don had handed her a note in 2019 that she had written during London 2012.

In it, she wrote about her dream of rowing for Great Britain and winning a gold medal but chose to set it aside, worried it might come across as arrogant.

“I threw that away because I didn’t believe,” Anderson said of a piece of paper her father, a rower himself, retrieved and returned to her shortly before he died in 2019.

“I was 14 at the time so why would I believe? Young girls struggle a bit to see themselves as strong, athletic individuals but that’s changing now. My dad saw it before I did. My potential would not have been unlocked without the girls I crossed the line with. He would be very proud today.”

“It’s a piece of paper but it’s the most valuable thing I have, maybe jointly with this medal now. It’s safe in a tin with all my dad’s old medals in my bedroom.”

Refugee Olympic team clinch first medal

Cindy Ngamba was born in Cameroon and moved to the UK when she was 11. Getty Images

Cindy Ngamba made history by becoming the first athlete from the Refugee Olympic Team to win an Olympic medal. Competing in women’s boxing in the 75kg bracket, Ngamba, who was born in Cameroon and moved to the UK at 11, won the bronze medal.

The IOC created the refugee team in 2015 to provide displaced individuals with access to resources and support to compete at the highest level.

“It means the world to me to be the first-ever refugee to win a medal,” Ngamba told reporters. “I want to say to all the refugees around the world … keep on working hard, keep on believing in yourself.”

Pakistan’s first individual gold medal

Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan celebrates winning gold with a new Olympic record in the men's javelin. Getty Images

After a 32-year wait, Pakistan finally has a gold medal thanks to Arshad Nadeem. Competing in men’s javelin, he registered a no-throw on his first attempt but broke an Olympic record with a 92.97-metre second throw. This was enough to put him ahead of defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra of India, who finished second with a throw of 89.45m.

Pakistan had never before won an individual gold medal at the Olympics and its last medal, the bronze, came at the 1992 Barcelona Games in men’s field hockey. In another inspiring moment, good friends Arshad and Chopra embraced after the results were announced with their countries' flags draped over their shoulders.

“Javelin is not popular in India and Pakistan. I know Arshad Nadeem worked very hard, it's a great news for him and for the people in Pakistan. He deserved to win tonight, we're both making our countries proud,” Chopra told the Hindustan Times.

Even Chopra's mother, while speaking to ANI, said: “We are very happy. For us, silver is also equal to gold. The one who got the gold (Arshad) is also like our son.”

Turkish sharpshooter goes viral for laid-back approach

Turkey's Yusuf Dikec, 51, won silver in the air pistol team event, but it was his very casual approach that made him a favourite on the internet.

Unlike his female counterpart Kim Yeji of South Korea, Dikec competed without special lenses or ear protectors that are typical in the sport. He also had one hand casually tucked into his pocket as he effortlessly fired his way on to the podium – and social media stardom thanks to the many memes his approach inspired.

Dikec, who has competed in every Games since 2008, was in the mixed team 10-metre air pistol shooting event when he went viral.

“I shoot with both eyes, most shooters do it with one. So I didn’t want all that equipment,” he told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol.

“Shooting with two eyes – I believe that it’s better. I’ve done a lot of research on it, so I didn’t need the equipment.

“Shooting with my hand in my pocket has nothing to do with artistry. I am more motivated and feel more comfortable while shooting,” he said. He added that his stance is about “bringing the body to equilibrium and focusing and concentrating”.

North and South Korean athletes take selfie together

A selfie went viral of the three medal-winning teams in the table tennis mixed doubles event on Tuesday. While China won gold, it was North Korea that took silver and South Korea won bronze.

The “victory selfie”, as dubbed by the Olympics organisers, has become a trend in Paris, the first Games to allow it. Medallists can snap photos of themselves on the podium using phones provided by sponsor Samsung.

While North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war, the two countries marched together under one flag at the Summer Games in 2000 and 2004, as well as the 2006 Winter Games. The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, also featured both countries marching as one in the opening ceremony and playing as a unified team in the women’s ice hockey competition.

In recent weeks, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have flared up again between the two. However, the selfie has been praised as a rare show of cross-border harmony.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, a selfie by South Korean gymnast Lee Eun-ju and North Korean gymnast Hong Un-jong also went viral, showcasing how sports transcend politics.

Table tennis player makes Olympics debut at 58

Chile's Zhiying Zeng plays a return to Lebanon's Mariana Sahakian during their women's table tennis singles preliminary round. AFP

Table tennis player Zhiying Zeng is proof that no one should give up on their dreams, no matter their age. Despite being a mother to two adult sons, she made her Olympics debut at 58. Although she lost in the preliminary rounds, she was proud of her accomplishment.

“It was the biggest dream of my life,” she told CNN Sport. “Even when I was a little girl and they would ask me what my dream was, I would say: ‘Become an Olympian.’”

Zeng was chosen for China's national team at 16 but her career began to decline after a new rule change in the sport, shortly before table tennis made its Olympics debut in 1988. She quit, retiring at 20 and moving to Chile where she has lived for more than three decades. It wasn't until the pandemic that she picked up a paddle again.

“At my age, you have to play with happiness, not anguish,” Zeng told The Guardian, adding that she was proud to play for Chile. “I love this country. I didn’t reach my dream in China, and I have here. It’s important not to give up.”

She was also thrilled that her father, 92, could finally see she's “made it” on the world stage. “My dad was able to see his daughter qualify for the Olympics,” she told CNN. “He used to take me to training and to matches when I was a girl.”

Gymnast makes history for Indonesia

Due to injuries, Indonesia's Rifda Irfanaluthfi was only able to perform part of her uneven bars routine. AFP

Rifda Irfanaluthfi, 24, made history as the first Indonesian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.

However, her path towards the Games was not an easy one as she learnt she had qualified while getting knee surgery for a meniscus tear. She also partially tore her ACL but chose not to get surgery for it because it would have meant missing the event entirely.

“I really wanted to compete at the Olympics because it's my dream. I want to make everyone who has supported me proud,” she told NOC Indonesia.

And while Irfanaluthfi was originally hoping to compete through the pain to participate in all four apparatuses, she suffered another setback after injuring herself during her second training in Paris. This led to her just competing on the uneven bars, where she was only able to do part of her routine and scored a 9.166.

“I wanted to feel the Olympics atmosphere first. Maybe after that, I'll have surgery, maybe not,” said. “Maybe I'll retire or continue being an athlete.

“I'm calmer now, I've proven I can compete in the Olympics. I'm happy I can hold the pain back until the end of the competition.”

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez's surprising announcement

Egypt's Nada Hafez is a three-time Olympian. Getty Images

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez, 26, who beat the No 7 seed in sabre fencing before losing in the last 16, announced she did so while being seven months pregnant. The three-time Olympian only revealed her pregnancy on social media after she exited the Olympics.

“What appears to you as two players … they were actually three! It was me, my competitor and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” she wrote on social media.

Although there were some mixed reactions to her announcement, Hafez and her husband – who both have degrees in medicine – had no concerns.

She added: “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it.”

She previously competed at the Rio and Tokyo Games.