Our 8 Favorite Viral Moments of the Paris Olympics!

Throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics, the athletes have seemed to find a new way to connect with their fans. TikTok! Everyone, from gymnast Simone Biles to rugby player Ilona Maher to tennis player Naomi Osaka, has been using the platform to post GRWM videos, outfit reveals, and, of course, posing with their medals. With the games coming to a close on Sunday, let's take a look at the most viral moments that we’ll surely be talking about for weeks to come!

1. Taylor Swift fans were in awe as Swedish pole vaulter, Armand Duplantis, broke the world record and immediately ran over to his girlfriend in the crowd, perfectly embodying Swift's song "The Alchemy". The line “Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me” was played over many TikToks of Duplantis running into the crowd to kiss his girlfriend.

2. If you’re a fan of Superman, this Clark Kent look-alike from Team USA’s Men’s Gymnastics Team did not let us down. Stephen Nedoroscik’s flawless pommel horse routine helped Team USA to win a bronze medal after a 16-year drought. With Nedoroscik finishing third in the singular pommel horse event, the bespectacled athlete became a meme online for waiting three hours for just one event, as well as the Clark Kent/Superman nickname after using the United States flag as a cape.

3. You’d think the athletic events would be the main focus for the Olympics, but somehow food reviews have been made the most critical. Henrik Christiansen, a swimmer from Norway, went viral with reviews. The Olympic Village's cuisine has drawn criticism from competitors, but the chocolate chip muffin appears to be an exception. Christiansen said the muffin was “insane” and then went on to make multiple videos centered around his new favorite treat.

4. With the debut of breakdancing came the debut of Rachael Gunn’s meme status. The Australian breakdancer was eliminated in the round-robin stage of the competition, and while she didn’t gain any points, she did earn herself some notoriety online. Her breakdancing poses were compared to Daniel doing the iconic crane kick in The Karate Kid as well as one user saying, “What my nephew does after telling all of us to ‘watch this’”!

5. American swimmer Ryan Murphy won more than just a medal this past week. Although he won bronze in the 100-meter backstroke, finding out he’s having a baby girl got him just as excited. His wife, Bridget, held up a sign in the crowd reading "Ryan it’s a girl", regarding their first child to be born in January. Awww...

6. File this one under "humble brag"? French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati leaped into infamy when he missed a critical jump due to his... ahem... unwieldly manhood. He may have lost his event, but he won our hearts, with a slew of memes following his eye-popping mishap. Luckily, Anthony was in on the joke, joining the fun by posting this TikTok (translation: "POV: you create more buzz for your package than your performances"):

7. It's a long-standing traditional for medal winners is to pose with their hardware while "chomping" on it, which gets its origin in proving the authenticity of the material it's made out of. Apparently, though, it's not a universal thing, as 18-year-old Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin learned after winning silver on the balance beam. When gold and bronze winners Alice D'Amato and Manila Esposito from Italy bit down on their medals during their podium photo opp, Zhou looked over and saw what they were doing and adorably followed suit. The cute moment became an instant classic on social media!

8. With the games coming to Los Angeles in 2028, Snoop Dog did not let us forget. Along with performing his hit song “Drop It Like It’s Hot” at the Olympic handover on Long Beach, he seemed to appear at almost every Olympic event in Paris. He rode with Martha Stewart on a golf cart to the equestrian final, stood in the stands for skateboarding, took a lap around the track for the track & field trials, and, most memorably, watched Simone Biles at the women’s gymnastics finals in awe.

See y'all in L.A. in 4 years!