After 18 days of competition and countless memories, the Paris Olympics are now behind us. Here are five top photo picks from Al Jazeera Sport.
The Paris Olympics 2024 Summer Games will be talked about for many years and for myriad reasons: great athletic competitions, controversies, record-breaking performances and, best of all, the vivid memories from the world’s largest multisport event that will linger in the minds of sports fans everywhere for years to come.
Al Jazeera Sport covered many events at the Olympics, and here are some of the best photo moments from Paris 2024:
Spain clinching the Euro 2024-Paris 2024 double
What a month it has been for the Spanish football team.
They dominated the European Football Championships, going undefeated throughout the tournament and capping it off with a 2-1 win over England in the July 14 final in Berlin, Germany.
Twenty-six days later, on August 9, they were crowned the Olympic football champions at the Summer Games, defeating France 5-3 in extra time at the Parc des Princes. It was Spain’s first football gold medal since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
No image captured Spain’s joy more in completing the rare Euro-Olympic double than this photo of Alex Baena’s celebration moments after scoring his team’s third goal during the gold medal match.
The humble hero: Pakistan’s first gold medal winner in 40 years
Arshad Nadeem captured global attention by winning the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw.
Not only was it Pakistan’s first medal in the event – it was also the nation’s first ever track and field gold medal.
The quietly spoken, 27-year-old father of two also won the gold in the most emphatic way, breaking the Olympic record with a 92.97-metre (304.79ft) throw, the sixth best ever.
When it was confirmed that Nadeem had won the gold, the gentle giant fell to his knees in a moment of silent reflection captured and shared with the sporting world.
David vs Goliath in the Olympic basketball final
This photo, taken during the gold medal match between the USA and France, depicts a momentary battle between the tallest and shortest man on the basketball court.
Standing at 2.24 metres (7ft, 4 inches) and possessing an incredible 2.44-metre (8ft) wingspan, France’s Victor Wembanyama was the tallest athlete at Paris 2024.
In this image, he switches onto the USA’s shortest player – 1.88-metre (6ft, 2-inch) Stephen Curry – as he shoots a step-back three-pointer from the corner of the court.
The image almost looks fake but illustrates just how high players need to shoot to avoid Wembanyama blocking their shots.
For the record, Curry swished the three-pointer, and the USA went on to win the gold medal 98-87.
The relief after four years of toil
Unlike football, basketball or cricket players, track and field athletes rarely get the opportunity to showcase their skills to the world, making the pressure to perform at the quadrennial Olympics the ultimate pressure cooker.
This wonderful photo of the USA’s Gabrielle Thomas crossing the finish line in the 200m (219-yard) sprint final encapsulates the huge relief athletes feel upon reaching their lifelong dream of a gold medal.
Surf’s up at the Olympics
It’s difficult for world champion surfer Gabrielle Medina not to look cool; He’s handsome, fit, muscular, highly marketable, barrel-rides with the best of them and regularly pulls off the most insane aerial surfing manoeuvres in history.
But this photo, the most viewed of the Olympics, really did take him to new heights.
The Brazilian gained a whopping 1.3 million Instagram followers in the first 24 hours after the photo was published.
Medina’s magic photo moment – exiting the wave with the fly-away kick seen around the world – overshadowed what the 30-year-old had achieved just seconds before: the highest scoring wave in Olympic history at a near-perfect 9.9 out of 10.
