GOATs of the Games: Revisiting Paris 2024's sporting heroes

The Paris Olympics witnessed some breathtaking moments in sporting history which redefined the boundaries of human achievement.

From the wrestling mat to the Mondo track at the Stade de France, several athletes transcended their respective sports, delivering performances that cemented their legacies as all-time greats.

Let's take a look at some of the Greatest Of All Time Moments at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Mijain Lopez

Wrestling legend Mijain Lopez etched his name further into the history books when he hung his boots at the Champ-de-Mars arena in Paris, after winning the fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 130kg Greco-Roman category.

In the gold medal bout, Mijain Lopez faced Chile’s Yasmani Acosta Fernandez and defeated him 6-0 to clinch his fifth gold at the Olympic Games. Incidentally, Yasmani was once a Cuban wrestler who later moved to Chile due to Mijain’s dominance in the sport.

The five-time Pan American Games Champion, five-time world champion, and now a five-time Olympic Champion, has proven to the world that he is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

Novak Djokovic

In July, Novak Djokovic claimed his only title left to conquer by winning the Gold medal in the men's singles event defeating Carlos Alcaraz who got the better of him twice in the Grand Slams.

With this victory, Novak joined the elite list of players who have achieved the career golden slams alongside Nadal, Serena, Agassi and Steffi Graff

Novak also became the first male tennis player to have won the Olympic medals, all the Grand Slams, and all nine Masters 1000 events. Being the most decorated player at the men’s grand slams, Novak is further extending his GOAT status with the Gold medal at Paris

Armand Duplantis

Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis cemented his legendary status in the pole vault with a breathtaking performance at the Paris Olympics.

Mondo delivered a performance for the ages at the Paris Olympics. Not only securing the gold medal, he also rewrote the history books of the pole vault.

With the competition settled for silver and bronze at 5.95 meters, When Duplantis raised the bar to an unprecedented 6.25 meters, successfully clearing it on his third attempt, the crowd erupted cheering for him along with his fellow competitors.

Duplantis not only secured the gold medal but also shattered his world record. He now holds the top 9 vaults in men’s pole vault history

Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky made it into the history books with a gold medal in the women's 800m freestyle event, becoming the most decorated American woman, and most decorated female swimmer at the Games. With 4 medals, 2 being gold Katie now has 14 Olympic medals to her name.

At the age of 27, Katie has no signs of stopping and holds the 28 fastest timings in the women’s 800m freestyle event. Arguably the greatest swimmer of all time along with the flying fish Micheal Phelps

Simone Biles

Simone Biles solidified her status as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) at the Paris Olympics, where she became the most decorated American gymnast ever.

Winning her eighth Olympic medal in her career in Paris, Biles went on to claim her ninth, 10th, and 11th, with seven of them being gold.

No modern gymnast comes close to her dominance, with 41 world and Olympic medals and five signature moves named after her across three events. Paris further cemented her legacy as a true legend in the sport.

Sifan Hassan

On the last day of the Olympic Games, Sifan Hassan capped off an exciting week at the Games with a gold medal in the women’s marathon setting a new OR of 2:22:55.

Having won bronze medals in the 5000m and 1000m races earlier this week, Sifan became the second athlete to win medals at the 5000m, 10000m and marathon in a single Olympic game after Czech runner Emil Zatopek who achieved the feat in 1952!

Having won the gold medals in the 5000m, and 10000m and a bronze medal in the 1500m category in the Tokyo Olympics, her commanding performance in Paris makes her one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time.

Kim Woojin

South Korean archer Kim Woojin cemented his legacy as the greatest archer of all time at the Paris Olympics. He clinched an unprecedented fifth Olympic gold medal, three of them being this year, including a thrilling individual victory over Brady Ellison.

With his three gold medals, he added to South Korea's clean sweep of archery at that Olympics, underscoring his unparalleled dominance in the sport.

Teddy Riner

Teddy Riner’s victory in the men’s +100kg category at the Paris Olympics marked his third individual Olympic title, solidifying his status as the most decorated Olympic judoka in history.

Riner's legacy began in 2007 when he became the youngest judo world champion at just 18 and is now a French icon with an unmatched 11 world titles and three Olympic golds.