Memorable Paris Olympics: From Seine opening to final-second decider

MANILA – From cruising the Seine River to start the Games to a wild overall championship race that literally boiled down to the final second, the Paris Olympics was nothing short of memorable.

However, some stood out among the others and as the curtains fell on the 33rd edition of the quadrennial event, the Philippine News Agency takes a look back at those moments.

The shooting event became the top source of memes, mainly due to the gear like a specialized goggle that resembled a wearable crosshair.

Turkish gunner Yusuf Dikec competed with nothing but a pair of reading glasses, small earbuds and his left hand in his pocket.

The comparisons between Dikec and fully geared South Korean shooter Kim Ye-Ji became the template of memes that spanned different topics in and out of shooting.

While Dikec became an internet sensation globally, he is now a star back home as his viral stance earned him a silver, the first time Turkiye got a shooting medal.

Another internet sensation came from the host country, Anthony Ammirati.

The former world under-20 champion could have joined the likes of Swedish Mondo Duplantis and Filipino Ernest John Obiena in the finals of the men's pole vault event.

Needing to clear 5.7 meters just like Obiena, who surprisingly struggled at 5.6, Ammirati thought he had it, but as he was descending to the cushion, his private part caused the crossbar to fall, eliminating him in the process.

Just before the Paris Olympics closed, though, Guerschon Yabusele submitted a late meme entry, his posterizer on Team USA superstar LeBron James during the men's basketball final.

Basketball fans quickly pounced on photos or screenshots of the dunk and turned them into memes.

Some memes, though, showed some resemblance between Yabusele's dunk and that of Vince Carter on Frederick Weis during the 2000 Olympics.

James still had the last laugh over Yabusele though as Team USA survived France's gallant stand to win the gold, 98-87, mainly because of Stephen Curry's clutch heroics.

After settling for bronzes in the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Cup, James won in his last three appearances for Team USA, all in the Olympics.

James, now 39 years old, ruled out the possibility of a Team USA return in 2028 Los Angeles.

"I can't see myself playing in LA," the Los Angeles Lakers superstar said after the gold medal clincher, hinting that he might be retiring soon as a national team player.

It is also believed that Curry and Kevin Durant, both aged 36, could have played their last game for Team USA, too.

One athlete who confirmed to have played his last Olympics is marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, who crashed out of the men's marathon.

The former world record holder, for the first time in his career, failed to finish the 42-kilometer course.

Afterward, the Kenyan runner, also aged 39, announced his Olympic retirement.

"You will see me in a different way [in Los Angeles], maybe giving people motivation, but I will not run," Kipchoge said.

The Paris Olympics also gave lessons on dealing with the the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual) community.

The opening ceremonies' use of drag queens led to heated discussions online.

Seemingly depicting a pagan celebration featuring the Greek god Dionysus, at least according to the choreographer, observers thought the production number drew a resemblance to the Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece "The Last Supper" of Jesus Christ and His disciples.

This led to Christian groups crying foul about the seeming disrespect.

Female boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Chinese Taipei, both gold medalists, were also accused of being "biologically male."

The overall championship was up for grabs entering the final day of competition on Sunday, hours before the closing rites.

The United States and China remained tight in the medal leaderboard entering the final day, the overall race decided at the final second of the final event – the women's basketball gold medal duel between Team USA and France.

With China ahead by a gold (40-39) after Li Wenwen won in the women's +87 weightlifting, the Americans escaped with a 67-66 win to match the Chinese.

Team USA clinched the overall title thanks to an overwhelming lead in silvers, its final tally showing 40-44-42 gold-silver-bronze.

China had 40-27-24.

Of course, it was a historic Olympics for Philippine sports.

Carlos Yulo became the first Filipino athlete to win two gold medals in the Games – floor exercise and vault of men's artistic gymnastics.

Another adorable moment from gymnastics was when Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin bit her winner's medal for probably the first time.

The women's balance beam silver medalist, competing in her first Olympics at age 18, got curious when Italian gymnasts Alice D'Amato, the champion, and third-placer Manila Esposito bit their medals.

Thinking that it was required for the photos, Zhou bit hers, too, leading to a cute winning moment that quickly went viral. (PNA)