Paris Olympics packed a punch — and more

From an opening ceremony in which participants paraded in boats cruising on the river Seine to a controversy sparked by a Last Supper skit, the party in Paris had it all.

When it came to the sports buffet, we feasted on a variety of treats ranging from fisticuffs and the coolest dude with a pistol, to amazing acrobats and the fast and furious.

The Games packed a punch by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif that caused her upset Italian opponent Angela Carini to abandon a bout inside 46 seconds, crying in protest and questioning the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Khelif to participate when she was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test.

Amid the worldwide rage accusing the woman of being a man, Khelif earned Olympic glory when she won gold on Friday. What a KO against bigotry.  

Yusuf Dikec is the latest meme on social media streets owing to his cool, calm demeanour as he shot his way to a silver medal in the mixed team 10-metre air pistol event. Loading: Sniper for hire, a movie starring hand in pocket Dikec.

Paris was the canvas on which Simone Biles painted her artistic gymnastic prowess with a three gold and one silver medal haul that left her GOAT status in no doubt.

Biles showcased her spirit of sportsmanship when she and fellow American Jordan Chiles graciously bowed down to Rebeca Andrade, their conqueror in the artistic gymnastics individual floor final.

Biles revealed in an interview that bowing to the Brazilian was Chiles’ idea, and the duo did it because it was “the right thing to do… Rebeca, she’s so amazing, she’s queen”.

Andrade responded: “It was so caring from them. We were talking about everything that was going on (backstage). They are the best in the world. A scene like that means a lot to me. It’s so grand and I feel so honoured.”

And then she added this gem: “We are always rooting for the best for all.”

Biles and Chiles should sprinkle some of their camaraderie on the nauseatingly arrogant Team USA athlete Noah Lyles. Sure, showmanship adds spice and sports people are given to giving lip. Muhammad Ali was the best in the business of spewing a pre-bout verbal torrent before backing it up by stinging opponents like a bee while he floated like a butterfly inside the four corners of the ring.

Not so Noah Lyles, the narcissist whose cocky mouthing off prior to the men’s 200 metre final was muted by Botswana’s silent slayer Letsile Tebogo, who raced to gold, leaving the blabbermouth to settle for bronze.

Sporting spikes inscribed with his mother’s date of birth, Letsile ran the race of his life, showing Lyles a clean pair of spikes to sprint to a historic gold medal. There was a smiling angel in the heavens named Elizabeth Seratiwa, Letsile’s mother who died in May — to whom he dedicated his amazing victory.

All that came from the mouth of Lies, I mean Lyles, was something about battling Covid-19 and depression, and all manner of things. Hope he recovers from it all, faster than his run.

Asked afterwards if he wanted to be the face of track and field, Letsile replied: “I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or a loud person like Noah. So, I believe Noah is the face of athletics.”

Do the talking, I’ll do the running. Enough said.

However, not enough words can be said about how Tatjana Smith etched herself into the history books by stepping away from swimming as South Africa’s most decorated Olympic athlete with four medals — silver and gold from Tokyo and gold and silver in Paris.

And then there was Akani Simbine and company in the 4x100m relay comprising Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza. They secured a historic silver medal and set an African record with a blazing time of 37.57 seconds.

Roll on Los Angeles 2028.