A grandiose opening ceremony, iconic Olympic sites, a bunch of medals and many smiles. From the celebration of Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis mimicking the Turkish shooter, to the now iconic tweets of footballer Antoine Griezmann, here is a slightly offbeat anthology of the most memorable memories of this Olympic fortnight.
Antoine Griezmann on vacation in front of the Olympics
You know the song: for every French award, Antoine Griezmann tweets a message “Medal Alert”accompanied by congratulations and a photo. Before resuming training in Madrid, the footballer took advantage of the end of his vacation to live the Olympics to the fullest, in front of his TV and even in the stands. In particular, he witnessed the title of Antoine Dupont’s gang in rugby 7s. He was also present in Versailles for the horse riding, or at the swimming for Léon Marchand’s first title.
His tweets went so viral that Antoine Griezmann got his emoji (with his straw hat) on X, next to the hashtag #AlerteMedaille. The social network announced that it created it after his “Medal Alert” has exceeded “the million likes mark”.
Shooters, social media stars and meme machines
Yusuf Dikec, Kim Yeji. These names probably don’t ring a bell, but you might recognize their faces. Both shooters have become meme machines. Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec, a silver medalist in the mixed 10-meter pistol, has become the darling of social media for his casual, hand-in-pocket style, without a helmet or scope. So much so that Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis, an Olympic pole vault champion with a world record, celebrated his title by mimicking Yusuf Dikec’s gesture. The Turk congratulated him, with a photo of the celebration to prove it.
Different style, but same excitement, for the South Korean shooter. Kim Yeji, Olympic vice-champion on 10-meter pistol shooting, also had its little effect. Internet users liked his style and praised his charisma, notably through memes,edits (short videos with rapid and jerky editing) of his performance, or manga-style illustrations.
Rapper Snoop Dogg in Olympic form
Torchbearer, NBC consultant, discipline tester… American rapper Snoop Dogg has been in overdrive during the Olympics. He started by carrying the Olympic flame in Saint-Denis, a few hours before the opening ceremony on July 26. The star consultant for the powerful American channel then toured the various Olympic sites: he was notably seen commentating on the final of the rugby 7s tournament, and raving about Antoine Dupont, who “goes so fast”.
For American television, Snoop Dogg has also tried his hand at swimming with sports legend Michael Phelps, as well as horse riding and judo. The rapper has also been noted for his outfits featuring American athletes, such as Simone Biles and Noah Lyles.
The quarter of an hour of fame of the man in the multi-colored underpants
Between two series of the women’s 100m breaststroke on July 28, a man from the organization had his little moment of glory at the Paris La Défense Arena stadium. Dressed in multi-colored briefs, he dove into the pool to pick up a cap from the bottom of the pool. To the ovation of the public, as shown in a Eurosport video.
A style that contrasts with the more monochrome outfits of the Olympic swimmers. The man in question is presented by the British news agency Reuters as “Lifeguard”citing a p-holderGames arole: “Since lifeguards are the only people wearing swimsuits, apart from athletes, a request can be made to fetch something from the bottom of the pool (…) In this case, to the lifeguard closest to the object.” On social media, he even got a nickname from it: “Bob, the Cap Catcher”. In French, “Bob l’attrapeur de bonnet”.
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Léon Marchand, the dolphin man
Author of a quadruple of individual golds (400m medley, 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 200m medley), Léon Marchand made history at these Games. His last length in the butterfly event, where he caught up with the Hungarian Kristof Milak in the final meters, inspired a lot on social networks. The new star of French sport was so dominant that some wondered if he was made of the same wood as the rest of humanity. What if he was a dolphin? A robot? Or even an alien?
A cyclist’s toilet break in a Pigalle café
In the middle of the race, the German cyclist Nils Politt stopped for a quick pee break at the Café des Deux Moulins, at the foot of the Butte Montmartre, where the riders passed three times in an electric atmosphere, July 31. The German did not go unnoticed and left the cafe, made famous by the film The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, to the applause of the audience.
The scene made the spectators smile, but the German champion a little less so. “I was at the front, I still had very good legs and suddenly it became complicated. I had stomach problems. It wasn’t really funny. It didn’t go away. I was disgusted, but I had no choice but to stop.“, the cyclist told the Parisian. Nils Politt still finished the race in 70th place, far behind Remco Evenepoel. The double Belgian Olympic champion (who also won the time trial) was spotted a few hours after his victory dancing to techno music at the Belgium club.
“Well, good!”, Cyrian Ravet’s reaction went viral
Some would have exulted, jumped to the ceiling. Not Cyrian Ravet, who is not necessarily the most exuberant of French athletes. The bronze medalist in the -58kg category celebrated in a very sober way “Well, profit!” the announcement of his podium, live, after the announcement of the forfeit of his opponent for third place.
Enough to ensure him a small success on social networks, where his detachment and spontaneity seem to be appreciated. Several sportsmen and Internet users have taken up this expression. Like Simon Gauzy on X, after his bronze medal in team table tennis with the Lebrun brothers, or the French basketball team after the qualification of the Blues for the final of the Olympic tournament.
On X, Cyrian Ravet even joked about his reaction.All the media that tell me “it’s good”, it’s a treat!”enthused about X the Frenchman the day after his medal, before answering an interview “Benefit or not benefit” on behalf of the French Olympic team. A real star.
Japanese rider’s selfie with his horse
To celebrate the bronze medal in the team eventing, the Japanese rider Yoshiaki Oiwa posted a selfie with his medal and his horse that deserved its fifteen minutes of fame. The Japanese’s tweet has been viewed more than 5.6 million times.
Andy Murray’s Humorous Farewell
Tennis star Andy Murray (three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic titles) played the last match of his storied career at the Olympic tournament at Roland Garros on August 1. The 37-year-old Briton left the court in tears after receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. He then posted a sarcastic tweet so british : ““I never liked tennis anyway.”he wrote, before changing his biography on X, going from “I play tennis” has “I played tennis.”