From Biles to Djokovic: Stars of the Paris Olympics

There were many contenders to be crowned stars of the 2024 Olympic Games which wrap up on Sunday.

AFP Sports looks at six of the best:

Simone Biles

Biles proved as popular a draw as the Eiffel Tower, the 1.42m bundle of brilliance standing tall on her return to the Olympics after the trauma of Tokyo.

In Japan she was forced to withdraw from most of the Games with a debilitating mental block known as the “twisties”. Three years on, watched by an enraptured full house at Bercy Arena including her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga, Biles resumed the gold run she had begun at Rio 2016.

The 27-year-old pipped Rebeca Andrade for the coveted all-around crown on her last tumble on the floor. That was book-ended by titles with the US team and vault — where she executed her Yurchenko double pike, the Biles II, her sixth eponymous skill.

Stumbles on the final day as tiredness — both mentally and physically — set in left her with silver behind Andrade on the floor. In a mark of her class as a person she bowed to the Brazilian on the podium.

Leon Marchand

A new star was born in the Paris pool with Leon Marchand enthralling packed houses at La Defense Arena by completing a feat not seen since the days of Michael Phelps.

The 22-year-old emphatically won all four of his individual races — the 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke and 200m-400m medley double.

It thrust him into elite company as the first male swimmer to do so at a singles Games since the American legend in 2008.

In an ominous warning, Marchand said “it’s only the beginning”, with his sights already set on Los Angeles in 2028.

Noah Lyles

Lyles arrived in Paris shouting about wanting to cement his legacy as the rightful heir to Usain Bolt. The American did win a 100 metres that will live long in the memory, edging Kishane Thompson of Jamaican by five thousandths of a second.

But he looked out of sorts in the 200m as Letsile Tebogo emphatically won to deny him the sprint double, then revealed he had tested positive for Covid.

He was therefore sidelined as the Americans flopped and were disqualified in the 4x100m relay.

Bolt, in contrast, won sprint doubles and the relay at three successive Games, only losing one relay gold due to a teammate’s doping case.

Antoine Dupont

Half-time at a packed Stade de France and two-time Olympic champions Fiji looked in control against the hosts in the rugby sevens final. Enter Antoine Dupont.

Dupont, arguably the world’s greatest 15-a-side player, had started on the bench so he could make the maximum impact with fresh legs in this high-octane sport.

That impact was immediate. Seizing on a loose ball from the second-half kick-off, he hared down the wing, outpacing Fiji sevens legend Jerry Tuwai and popping an inside ball to Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang for a simple try.

Dupont then scored two tries of his own to bring home the gold 28-7, in a fevered atmosphere that even seasoned commentators said they had never experienced at a rugby match.

Novak Djokovic

At the age of 37, Novak Djokovic finally won an Olympic gold medal to go along with his 24 Grand Slam titles.

The Serb defeated Carlos Alcaraz, 16 years his junior, in a memorable final at Roland Garros where has already been crowned French Open champion three times.

Djokovic achieved his dream the hard way — having to defeat career-long rival Rafael Nadal in the second round in the pair’s 60th meeting.

He then overcame aggravating a knee injury which had needed surgery in June during his quarter-final win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Djokovic said he wants to defend his title at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles when he will be 41.

“I love the drive, every day, every week of training my body, perfecting my game, improving myself still at this age,” he said.

The Crowds

Any doubts about the French crowd’s commitment to the Olympics were dispelled by the huge roar the first-time swim sensation Leon Marchand dived into the La Defense pool.

Marchand’s march to four golds sparked a rhythmic roar from spectators every time his head broke the water — even seasoned Olympians said the noise was extraordinary.

The French and fans from around the world also turned the spectacular beach volleyball venue next to the Eiffel Tower into a party every night that lit up millions of Instagram accounts.