The 2024 Paris Olympics were full of incredible performances. Here’s a compilation of my favorites, complete with videos, so you can watch them, too!
Men’s 1500
This is one of the races I watched live, and it was 100% worth it. I ran around the house screaming when Hocker won and the US took 1st, 3rd, and 5th. It was a semi-underdog story since so much of the media was focused on Jakob Ingebrigtsen vs. Josh Kerr, but US fans knew our guys had a good chance to shake it up.
Sifan Hassan gets 3 Medals
Watch the marathon finish here
Sifan Hassan did the insane triple of running the 5000, 10,000, and marathon at the Olympics…and even more insane was that she got 3 medals (2 bronze & 1 gold). Hassan concluded her triple with a gold medal in the marathon and an Olympic record. You can watch the
Grant Fisher gets 2 Bronze Medals
Watch the 10,000 recap here (complete with the craziest last 550 meters I’ve ever seen)
Grant Fisher is credited with lighting the spark for the US track and field team with his bronze medal in the 10,000 on the first night of track competition. He bookended his time at the Olympics with another bronze medal in the 5000 with a very similar race tactic – stay on the rail, stay in the top pack, and hang on for the kick.
Kenneth Rooks Sends It in the Steeplechase
Potentially one of the best things about the end of this race was the clear “who is this guy?” facial expressions from those in the front of the pack when Kenneth Rooks took the lead. He went full send and ended up with a silver medal.
US Dominates the 400 Hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time, and it is always fun to watch her decimate not only her competitors but also her own World Record. The added bonus of this race was that Anna Cockrell nabbed the silver medal over Femke Bol of the Netherlands who is the only other athlete to have run under 51 seconds for the event.
Faith Kipyegon Becomes the First Athlete to Win the Olympic 1500 Three Times
The women’s 1500 had quite the shakeup prior to the Olympics when Faith broke her own World Record at the Paris Diamond League…and had Australia’s Jess Hull on her tail until the very end! Faith also had 2 rounds of the 5000 in her legs prior to the 1500 (where she got a silver medal), but she proved she is still the most dominant 1500 runner and became the first athlete to ever win 3 golds in the event.
Noah Lyles is the Fastest Man in the World
This race was highly anticipated since Noah Lyles was trying to back up his 100m World Championship gold medal and looked…quite unbeatable in the prelims and semis as he didn’t win his heat in either. But there’s a reason they run the finals, and Noah showed out when he won by 0.005 of a second with an epic lean. The post-race analysis shows that he was only leading at the finish line and had an epic come from behind. It was electric!
Joe Kovacs is Clutch & Ryan Crouser 3-Peats
Ryan Crouser is the greatest shot putter in the world and won an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic gold medal. But the most exciting part of the competition was Joe Kovacs coming in clutch on his final throw. He was sitting outside the podium in 4th place, surprising because he’s ranked 2nd in the world behind Crouser, and it was raining. Almost every thrower was fouling due to slipping, and Joe was up with the rain still coming down. He absolutely launched it, didn’t foul, and jumped up to second place to secure the silver medal!
Dennis Mitchell’s Training Group in the 100
If you watched Sprint on Netflix (and you should!), you got to meet Dennis Mitchell and some of his athletes: Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, and Tee Tee Terry. Season 2 of Sprint is going to be awesome because not only did his athletes sweep the 100m US Trials, but they also all made the final at the Olympics! To make it even sweeter, Sha’Carri and Melissa came away with silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Rai Benjamin Wins 2 Golds
Watch the 400 hurdles here & watch the 4×400 Relay here
The men’s 400 hurdles was a clash of titans as the 3 fastest men of all time were facing off in the final – World Record holder Karsten Warholm, World Championship record holder Alison dos Santos, and Rai Benjamin – the reigning Olympic silver medalist. Rai had a lot of momentum coming into the race and crushed the competition getting his long overdue gold medal. But he wasn’t done yet! He came back and anchored the men’s 4×400 team and held off Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo who had just won gold in the 200.
Grant Nabs Gold
The 100 hurdles is such an unforgiving race where the smallest mistake can cost you the race. Grant Holloway has always been dominant but walked away from the Tokyo Olympics with a silver medal instead of a gold. Paris was a great redemption tour for him as he got his gold medal. And fellow American Daniel Roberts got the silver!
Gabby Thomas Comes Home with 3 Gold Medals
Watch the 200 race here & watch the 4×100 relay here & watch the 4×400 relay here
Gabby Thomas dominated the 200 to win her first gold medal, and it was no surprise to see her on the 4×100 relay, but her third gold came from the 4×400 relay, which was such an exciting race. The US put Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on 2nd leg, and since she is so much faster than everyone in the world, there was an insurmountable lead for the rest of the teams to overcome, even Femke Bol. The group also set an American record and were just off the World record.
Quincy Hall Got That Dawg In Him
The 400 is one of the most punishing races in track and field, and coming from behind in the final 100 is impressive. Even the commentators were counting Quincy out until he mounted a massive comeback to win the gold, complete with a grimace on his face. I dare you to watch this race and not smile.
Bryce Hoppel Gets the American Record
The men’s 800 was bonkers leading up to the Olympics with 3 men running 1:41 at the Paris Diamond League in July. Bryce Hoppel was full of confidence going into the final with his eyes on the American record and a gold medal. Hoppel ran a brilliant race and indeed set a new American record of 1:41.67! It was a bittersweet success, though, because even with the blazing time, he was off the podium in 4th place.
Tara Davis-Woodhall Jumps for Gold
Tara Davis-Woodhall has amazing energy and is an incredible performer as well as athlete. She came into the Olympics ranked first in the world and was able to secure her first gold medal! Her celebration with her husband (Paralympian Hunter Woodhall) made me tear up.
Sara Morrison 