Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
In just one week, the Paris 2024 Olympics has brought fans in the stadium and at home to tears with sweet, broadcast cameos and adorable messages dedicated to athletes’ loved ones.
The 2024 games kicked off on July 26 with an extravagant, some say “over the top,” opening ceremony in the City of Lights, welcoming competitors from around the world and ushering teams in boats down the River Seine. Performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion sparkled as the Olympic torch was ignited, heralding the start of this year’s competition.
Since then, the Paris games have proven to be history-making with athletes like Team USA’s women’s swimmer Katie Ledecky breaking world records and setting tenacious tones in their sport. Of course, Simone Biles’ return to the games after her unforeseen forfeit in the Tokyo Olympics would’ve been remarkable alone even if she hadn’t claimed first place in the women’s gymnastics all-around final or solidified Team USA’s triumph in the women’s team final, which she did.
Unrivaled talent and sportsmanship aside, Paris has already been an emotional rollercoaster, fostering irrevocable moments outside the competition. Between Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi penning a heartwarming letter to his wife after dropping his wedding ring in the Seine and Ryan Murphy’s baby gender reveal, the Paris 2024 Olympics have brought as many tear-jerking times as groundbreaking wins.
Here are all the sentimental moments from the Paris 2024 Olympics so far.
Gianmarco Tamberi’s wedding ring
Amid the opening ceremony spectacle, Italian Olympic flag bearer Gianmarco Tamberi lost something of great value – his wedding ring. While riding along the River Seine alongside his teammates, the Olympic high jumper saw his wedding band fly into the water. What would typically be considered a moment of despair, Tamberi saw as a moment of hope and foreshadowing for something greater.
In a poignant post on Instagram, the athlete wrote a romantic apology note to his wife. “I’m sorry my love, I’m so sorry,” he started. “Too much water, too many kilograms lost in the past few months or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing.”
“Probably all three things, just the fact that I heard it, I saw it fly... I followed her with a glance until I saw her bouncing inside the boat. A Glimmer of Hope,” he continued. “But unfortunately the bounce was in the wrong direction and floating more than a thousand times in the air I saw her dive into the water like that was the only place she wanted to be.
“A few moments that lasted an eternity. But if it was meant to happen, if I’m really going to lose this faith, I couldn’t imagine a better place. It will stay forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I tried to carry the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world.”
He finished: “If I had to invent an apology I would never have been this imaginative. I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and if you want, we’ll throw yours into that river, too, so they’ll be together forever, and we’ll have one more excuse to, like you’ve always asked, renew our vows and get married to new.”
On July 31, Team USA’s Katie Ledecky was victorious. The 27-year-old female swimmer broke the record time for the 1500-meter freestyle race, finishing first place for Team USA at 15:30.02. She was awarded her 12th gold medal, tying her with Natalie Coughlin for the most gold medals received on Team USA’s women’s swimming.
While the stadium roared in excitement, her family and friends cheering with them, her biggest fan seemed to be a young girl in the stands who exhibited a whirlwind of emotions. In footage shared online, the little girl is seen cheering Ledecky on as climbed out of the pool, screaming in shock. The young fan was speechless, her mouth wide open. “Oh my god. Wooooo,” she screamed, falling back into her chair as she gripped the American flag next to her.
“Katie Ledecky just made this girl’s life,” one X, formerly known as Twitter, user wrote next to the video, which has now garnered over one million views. Another viewer commented: “Such a lucky fan. An amazing moment she will remember forever.”
On Instagram, Coughlin wrote: “I couldn’t love this anymore. So cute!!!”
Team USA’s victory in women’s gymnastics team final
Following her resilient comeback winning the world championship after bowing out of the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles didn’t come to play in Paris – and neither did her teammates. Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, took home the gold on July 30 in the women’s gymnastics team final. The competition featured four rounds – vault, uneven bars, beam, and floor – scoring three members from each team in all four. At the very last second, Biles bumped her team up to first place with her outstanding, high-difficulty floor routine.
As the Biles waited eagerly by the mat, Lee, Chiles, Carey, and Rivera rushed to her side, grasping an American flag for when the announcement of their ranking came. When the time came, and the US was give an overall winning score of 171.296, the girls rushed on top of the platform, holding the flag high in the air. All five were teary-eyed with big smiles spread across their face in the moment they weren’t sure was possible after the Tokyo games.
Gender of Ryan Murphy’s baby revealed
For Team USA’s Ryan Murphy, winning bronze meant finding out the sex of his unborn baby. At the 100-meter backstroke final on July 29, Murphy finished in third place, earning his spot on the podium in front of his pregnant wife, Bridget Konttinen. In the wake of his performance, Konttinen yelled from the stands: “Ryan it’s a girl!”
Speaking to The Associated Press after the heartwarming moment, Murphy recalled his wife’s sudden and unexpected announcement. “I was walking back around and Bridget was holding up a sign and it said: ‘Ryan, it’s a girl,’” he explained. “That was the first time I heard the gender.
“We both — we honestly both thought it was going to be a boy. And everyone — like everyone — we were talking to, they thought it was going to be a boy,” he added.
Jordan Chiles’ supportive parents
The 23-year-old gold medalist competed in her last Olympic event on July 30 during the women’s team final, delivering a captivating floor routine that helped push Team USA to the top spot. Feeling the weight of her performance, Chiles was seen choking up with tears of joy after the final beat of her Beyoncé mix played. She was done, her Olympic performance was over, and if she wasn’t proud of herself, her parents sure were.
When the cameras cut to her family in the stands, her mom Gina erupted in tears while her dad Timothy let out a wild hollar, raising his arms in the air. Their daughter had just scored a 13.966 on her floor routine, the third-best overall performance of the competition, and they couldn’t contain their happiness.
Pictures of the proud parents circulated online, prompting fans at home to feel sentimental just looking at them. “Had me in tears with them!!! Ugh love this for her!!! GO USA,” a touched X user wrote. Next to an image of Gina and Timothy, another social media viewer admitted: “This is when I started crying.”
