wintermom Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 (edited) Now that they are pretty much over (just watching the closing ceremonies now), any favourite moments for these games? I love the opening and closing ceremonies. I love that there were fans back in the stands again after the Tokyo games. I tend to enjoy those little moments just outside the actual competition, as they really highlight the humanity and humility of the games. For example, I saw a clip of the Sunday morning singing in the athlete villiage by the Fiji athletes and officials. That was just so cool to see how it touched all those who could hear it. Edited August 11 by wintermom 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 A 2021 grad from my dd’s high school won a gold medal in weightlifting. It was a huge deal for the school. They had a watch party and got all decked out in red white and blue. NBC came and filmed for their prime time coverage through they didn’t end up using it or showing much of it in prime time. The whole school did watch it together live on Peacock. Very exciting and special memory for her school. She even set an Olympic record while they were watching! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 I loved watching climbing. We got to see ... Dd's speed climbing rival make her Olympic debut. She's been recovering from a hand injury so she didn't climb to her pre-injury ability, but it was a joy to watch. The goofy little sibling in a climbing family we knew make his Olympic debut in speed climbing. To see him just enjoy the experience even though he didn't have his best climbs was inspiring. Watching one of dd's competitors take SILVER in boulder/lead combined! Cutting onions, for sure. the immensely supportive climbing community where competitors cheer each other on and celebrate each others' successes is a reminder why dd and I fell in love with this sport! While I loved watching the replays, hurrying home and avoiding social media spoilers, I was disappointed with the commentators on the Peacock replay stream. As much as I love Petra as a climber and a role model, it was hard to listen to her for several hours. I would love to have figured out the VPN thing in time to get the EuroSport feed on HBO. I would have loved the commentating from Matt Groom and Shauna Coxsey! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 It’s been one of my favorite Olympics. I could feel the joy of the athletes—the ones experiencing a normal Olympics after Tokyo mixed with the joy of the first timers. It felt like such a celebration some how. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 (edited) I really enjoyed Cole Hocker’s finish in the 1500. It seemed to energize the whole US team. Our kids’ Alma mater had a gold medalist in track as well. For a school <20 years old it’s a big deal. He’s already been the Christmas parade leader, not sure what else they can do to honor him but I’m sure they’ll find something.🥰 Edited August 12 by Sneezyone 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 I haven’t watched them in years but got Peacock this time so we could. Ds does BBoy/Breaking and it was lots of fun to watch (even if everyone else on the internet seemed to hate it). Not many breakers in our rural area so it was pretty cool to watch! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 There were so many great moments, but the image that will stay with me is the one of the women's gymnastics floor podium, even if there is currently a cloud hanging over that event. The closing ceremony was hands-down my favorite closing ceremony ever. I loved it. Snoop Dogg. I had no idea we needed him at the Olympics, but we did. 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Pommel Horse Guy and Snoop. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I loved all the gymnasts, their joy, the Americans' redemption tour, the incredible friendship, respect, and sportsmanship they all showed. They all seemed happy and like they were having fun. (The current debacle is terrible. Just, what a mess.) But I can't get enough of Simone Biles's huge genuine smile. I'm so grateful for all she's done to promote mental health awareness and so glad she got the help she needed, and I really was hoping she'd get that AA gold. Also, Stephen the pommel horse hero and not just because he's a fellow uni alum. I love that he's unabashedly geeky along with being an athlete. I didn't watch anything other than gymnastics, but the clips of Elmo making the social media rounds are so adorable. It feels like everyone felt the spirit this year. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 (edited) Here's a (new) fun 7 minute compilation (by NBC) of most of the Olympic Track Finishes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeKnYi2vVgI&t=4s And this one = 3 minute compilation of phenomenal French fans and French gold medalists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVWzMwEOQ3Y Edited August 12 by Beth S 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Gymnastics and track are always my favorites but I also love just randomly finding a sport and watching it. We watched a lot of volleyball this year because my dd is playing and that was fun. We randomly landed on table tennis one day. Cycling this weekend. I love learning the rules of different sports and the Olympics is great for that. The Turkish shooter makes me smile every time I see a meme. I enjoyed watching the gold medal basketball game mainly because my 20 yods was enjoying it so much. I have never liked that the NBA took over Olympic basketball but he loves his NBA and was so happy when they won gold! As he says, the end of an era because a lot of those guys probably won't be back. I love arguing with him about James vs. Jordan as the goat so I got some jabs in. Just a fun Olympics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I just remembered another favorite- when the 16 year old was part of the 4x400 relay! They needed him to run a good section to qualify for the final though he wouldn't get to be in the final - they qualified but the younger guy was down on himself for not running his best and the older guys all embraced him immediately, encouraging him. Awesome moment! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Oh something else that even my 9 year old picked up on- there was so much “building each other up”, cheering for their opponents, congratulating their opponents who beat them, hand shakes and hugs across country lines…. He said over and over “they are really displaying good sportsmanship, mom!” 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 (edited) I also really enjoyed seeing many new sporting events, and seeing some older ones evolve into something spectacular (i.e., Artistic Swimming). Wow! Those swimmers are amazing! It will be cool to see men participant in the future, as many have been training for decades. My first synrco instructor was a man. I loved watching the new white water kayak cross event! I kind of wish that pro athletes were not allowed to participate, as many of them tend to swoop in with all their schtick and there is much less teamwork than those teams with long-term highly invested players. The rules and playing area differences require time to master the Olympic version of the game (i.e., basketball and ice hockey). On paper, the Canadian men's basketball team looked amazing, however that did not translate at all to a good performance, and other countries with teams who spend more time training for the Olympic competition did very well. Edited August 12 by wintermom 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Alex Yee's comeback in the triathlon and the hug with the silver medallist afterwards. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I think finally seeing meaningful change in women's gymnastics was my favorite thing. I've been a gym fan forever, coached competitive gymnasts for 8 years, and I've been watching since the 92 Olympics. Seeing the gymnasts peak at Olympic Trials and show up at the games overtrained and underfed year after year was so hard. In 92, the US gymnasts were barely even able to speak to each other - they were always pitted against each other. They weren't allowed to stay in the Olympic Village for some years and barely seemed to have any kind of Olympic experience. Watching them cheer for each other, posting pictures from being out and about in the village, and even pictures of them eating was just SO nice after years of abuse. And they're the ones doing it - the gymnasts are slowly changing the sport from the inside, making it healthier for everyone. 14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 15 hours ago, Hilltopmom said: I haven’t watched them in years but got Peacock this time so we could. Ds does BBoy/Breaking and it was lots of fun to watch (even if everyone else on the internet seemed to hate it). Not many breakers in our rural area so it was pretty cool to watch! I've been fascinated with the breaking, which I knew nothing about until now. I even managed to get DH to watch the men's gold medal round ... partially so he could see what I've been obsessed with. So, here's someone else on the internet who loved it! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Clark Kent pommel horse guy, woman from my area (Caroline Marks) wins gold in surfing, Katie Ledecky, the enthusiasm and exuberance of the athletes, the way all the athletes from countries around the world supported each other, rooted for each other, lifted each other up. Snoop. Snoop and Martha. More Snoop. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 I didn't watch any of the Olympics but I loved how the social media focus was on the athletes and not the countries and their politics. Also, Turkish pistol guy. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 2 minutes ago, elegantlion said: Also, Turkish pistol guy Oh yeah. Loved him! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Oh! Flavor Flav! When he learned that the US Women's Water Polo players were self-funded and some were working three jobs, he decided to become their sponsor and was their biggest super fan! And now he's offering to make Jordan Chiles a bronze clock necklace to (help) ease the pain from the disaster that is the women's gymnastics floor final. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/26/how-girl-dad-flavor-flav-became-hype-man-for-the-us-womens-water-polo-team This is a nice compilation - some of these, like "Bob the swim cap getter," feel like they were a long time ago!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 1 hour ago, AmandaVT said: Oh! Flavor Flav! When he learned that the US Women's Water Polo players were self-funded and some were working three jobs, he decided to become their sponsor and was their biggest super fan! And now he's offering to make Jordan Chiles a bronze clock necklace to (help) ease the pain from the disaster that is the women's gymnastics floor final. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/26/how-girl-dad-flavor-flav-became-hype-man-for-the-us-womens-water-polo-team This is a nice compilation - some of these, like "Bob the swim cap getter," feel like they were a long time ago!! He also saw on X where a US discus athlete was struggling to pay her bills because she only has a partial scholarship at Vanderbilt and offered to cover her rent for the next year (I think he ended up splitting it with another person who also offered). 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamonlyone Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 I really enjoyed many of the things already mentioned. I also loved watching Sydney McLaughlin Levrone and hearing her story and interviews. She is a super woman! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 I’m pretty sure the only thing Australia is going to remember is Raygun. I was happy for the skateboarding girl from here though. The video where she said what she wanted when she got home was a pet duck was quite cute 🥰 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 (edited) I didn't get to watch near as much as I wanted, but what I did say was just so great. The competitions in the pool where there were 3 or 4 swimmers neck-and-neck were so fun- and there were a lot of close races this Olympics! I think I watched more track & field than I have before because I felt really invested. I loved the steeplechase races, the 15000 meters and so many others. Some memorable events would be the men's shot put where it started raining hard after 3 throws and no one could throw well in the rain. Also, the women's balance beam final. Every competitor except the gold medalist falling off the beam? Unheard of. The men's gymnastic team final and Pommel Horse Guy were great too. I wanted to watch more kayak cross and indoor cycling. Snoop was a blast. As well as many of the other celebrity sightings where we literally just saw them being human, enjoying the many sports and cheering on their teams just like anyone else. I'm looking forward to the winter games in Italy, which begin on February 6, 2026. That's not too far away. Edited August 13 by Lady Marmalade 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 The women's marathon. The sprint finish between Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands and Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia was incredible. I was screaming so loudly. Hassan had just taken bronze in both the 5 000m and 10 000m and then within 36 hours she won the marathon! In interviews she said "I just wanted to challenge myself". Hassan was also born in Ethiopia and her mother sent her alone to the Netherlands as a refugee when she was just 15. Even more inspiring was the determination with which Kinzang Lhamo of Bhutan, who was dead last, finished the race. She was walking towards the end and had the spectators gathering in a wave, walking and biking next to her for encouragement. There was a man with a Bhutanese flag and a backpack (possibly her coach) running just ahead of her for at least the last 5km. She got a standing ovation when she finished. I had a definite tear in my eye. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 My cousin placed 4th in double sculls. I really wish for his sake that he had won a medal, but that's still pretty good! 🙂 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 (edited) 50 minutes ago, MercyA said: My cousin placed 4th in double sculls. I really wish for his sake that he had won a medal, but that's still pretty good! 🙂 That's certainly pretty good - fourth in the world!! Edited August 14 by Hannah 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Maybe not a best moment but definitely, um, memorable. I'll be the first to bring it up. French pole vault guy. 😂😂 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Better late than never, here's a look back at our Olympics-themed summer school for anyone who is interested, which ended up being mostly cooking! We had so much fun immersing ourselves in the Olympic Games and learning about France...on Monday, it's time to get back to work with another year of homeschooling! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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