There was no shortage of captivating moments — good and bad — at these Olympics. The crowds that were missing in Tokyo came roaring back in Paris. There were slips, trips, falls, epic defeats, surprise medals, tears, drones, and a skateboarding venue where Marie Antoinette met the guillotine centuries ago. What we are trying to say: We couldn’t have made this up if we tried. And the photos below are proof.
Hundreds of photographers on the ground captured all the drama and some of the most breathtaking images ever of athletes in action. The Olympic Games are always evolving with new sports such as the highly photogenic surfing and breaking events being added this year. Likewise, the methods of photographing them are also evolving. Underwater robotic cameras controlled remotely capture minute details of Olympic swimmers, including their bubbles. Overhead cameras operated with remote triggers provide a whole new perspective of gymnasts and other athletes.
As always, it comes down to the super-fast reactions times on the part of the photographers to produce the epic shots that stay with us long after the Games have ended. And it certainly doesn’t hurt when Paris serves as the stunning backdrop, whether beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower or fencing at the Grand Palais.
After Sunday’s closing ceremony, the 2024 Paralympics kick off in Paris on Aug. 28, running through to Sept. 8. There will be more breathtaking photos, but here’s Postmedia’s picks for now.
Canada’s Andre De Grasse crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in the Men’s 4x100m Relay Final at the Paris Olympic Games on August 9, 2024 in Paris, France.Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson and her flying braids in a beach volleyball match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris.Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP
Canada’s Jeffrey Whaley competes in the Men’s Cycling BMX Freestyle Park qualification during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, on July 30, 2024.Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, shoots in front of Spain, in a men’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France.
Canada’s Wyatt Sanford is punched by Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev in the men’s 63.5kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024.Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP
Ecuador’s Ronald Zabala G., riding Forever Young Wundermaske, falls off the horse during the Equestrian Cross Country competition at Chateau de Versailles for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024.Photo by AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy
Canada’s hammer throw gold medallist Ethan Katzberg poses with his medal on stage at the Champions Park at Trocadero during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 6, 2024, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP
Canada’s Camryn Rogers wins a gold medal in the women’s hammer throw event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 6, 2024.Photo by Pawel Kopczynski / POOL / AFP
Venezuela’s Grabiel Lugo and Canada’s Nicholas Zhang compete in a men’s epee individual bout during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Grand Palais in Paris, on July 28, 2024.Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Canada’s Krissy Scurfield tackles New Zealand’s Jazmin Felix-Hotham during the women’s rugby sevens match between New Zealand and Canada during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on July 28, 2024.Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Canada’s Jacqueline Madogo after competing in the women’s 200m repechage round of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 5, 2024.Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP
Noah Lyles, of the United States, prepares for a heat in the men’s 100-metre sprint at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.Photo by AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Refugee Team’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, Britain’s George Mills and Netherlands’ Mike Foppen fall as they compete in the men’s 5000m heat at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 7, 2024.Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
Felix Dolci, of Canada, performs on the parallel bars during a men’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France.Photo by AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Brazil’s Gabriel Medina in the men’s surfing round 3, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Teahupo’o, on the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti, on July 29, 2024.Photo by Jerome BROUILLET / AFP
An overview of France’s Sya Dembele, known as Syssy, competing in the Women’s Breaking dance Round robin of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 9, 2024.Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
France’s Felix Lebrun eyes the ball during his men’s table tennis singles match in the team quarter-finals between Brazil and France at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 7, 2024.Photo by JUNG Yeon-je / AFP
Canada’s Maude Charron lifted 130 kgs, almost twice her weight, to win a silver medal in weightlifting at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 8, 2024Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Lightning strikes near the Eiffel Tower, lit up for the Paris OlympicsPhoto by Loic VENANCE / AFP
Athletes swim in the Seine river past a riverside mural during the men’s 10km marathon swimming final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 9, 2024.Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
