From the Zidane-Nadal torch exchange to the Tom Cruise show: 10 viral moments from the Paris 2024 Olympics

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec (right) gained immense popularity on social media during the Paris Olympics. Dikec shot to fame after his silver medal-winning performance in the 10m mixed team air pistol event. Soon after his heroic performance in the event, his old videos and photographs began to resurface on social media, where he was seen taking part in shooting competitions without using much high-tech equipment. (Image: Reuters)

Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina became an overnight internet sensation when a photo of him during his round of 16 match caught the attention of social media users. Just days after the Paris Olympics began, people hailed the photo as one of the best and most iconic images from the Summer Games. (Image: Reuters)

The men’s 100 metres final became one of the most talked about sporting events of the Paris Olympics. American sprint sensation Noah Lyles earned the title of “the fastest man alive” by coming out on top in the race with a stunning time of 9.79 seconds. However, it was the overall race that captured the world’s attention, as Lyles could only clinch the gold medal by beating Jamaican Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second. The photo finish has been labelled “the closest finish in modern history”. It was only natural that the video and highlight of the final became instant hits on social media. (Image: Reuters)

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis won the gold medal in the men’s pole vault. But the Swede won the gold in style by setting a new world record of 6.25m. The video of Duplantis attempting to pole vault 6.25m inside the Stade de France with thousands of spectators cheering him on and the celebrations inside the stadium after the new world record was set is impressive and needless to say, it was widely shared by people on various social media platforms. (Image: Reuters)

Shortly after China’s Zheng Siwei and Huang Ya Qiong won the gold medal in the mixed team badminton event, Siwei got down on one knee, gifted Qiong a ring and proposed to her. A surprised and excited Qiong said “yes” to the proposal. The loving moment was captured by badminton fans on camera as they cheered and encouraged the couple at the top of their lungs inside the Porte de la Chapelle stadium. The proposal video garnered many views on X, Instagram and other social media platforms. (Image: Reuters)

The men’s 100 metres final became one of the most talked about sporting events of the Paris Olympics. American sprint sensation Noah Lyles earned the title of “the fastest man alive” by coming out on top in the race with a stunning time of 9.79 seconds. However, it was the overall race that captured the world’s attention, as Lyles could only clinch the gold medal by beating Jamaican Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second. The photo finish has been labelled “the closest finish in modern history”. It was only natural that the video and highlight of the final became instant hits on social media. (Image: Reuters)

Millions and millions of Indians were glued to their televisions, mobiles, laptops and tablets on the night of the men’s javelin throw final. They were expecting India to have its best moment at the Olympics as Neeraj Chopra would successfully defend his gold medal. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the final with a monster throw of 92.97m which helped him create a new Olympic record. Despite putting in all his effort, Chopra failed to emerge victorious from the event and had to settle for the silver medal. Nadeem and Chopra gave the men’s javelin throw final the India versus Pakistan twist. Nadeem’s monster throw and the new ‘India versus Pakistan’ rivalry became instant hits on social media. (Image: Reuters)

The fight between Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Italian Angela Carini attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. The fight attracted international attention when Carini pulled out of the fight just seconds after the bout began. Carini claimed pain from the blows Khelif had landed on her. Carini’s withdrawal from the clash led to false claims that Khelif was either transgender or a man coming to light. The claims were so exaggerated that world leaders such as Giorgia Meloni, Donald Trump, JK Rowling and Elon Musk began to weigh in. They criticised the Olympics for pitting a woman against a “man”. The moment became one of the most controversial incidents of the Paris Games as the issue surrounding Khelif’s gender refused to die down for many days. It was only later, when the International Olympic Committee spoke out on the issue and defended Khelif, that the dispute was fuelled to some extent. Khelif and her “gender” issue continued to trend on social media for several days in a row. (Image: Reuters)

The closing ceremony of the Paris Games received much better reviews than the opening ceremony. There were several memorable moments and several stars performed at the Stat de France, the venue for the closing ceremony. However, the most exciting and impressive part of the closing ceremony was Tom Cruise’s gravity-defying act. The Hollywood actor performed a stunt at the Stat de France that left fans inside the stadium stunned. (Image: Reuters)