Paris still in their minds

SASKATOON—Los Angeles is now gearing up to host the 2028 Olympics. Still, the Paris Games will remain memorable for some athletes, like the four athletes who won their respective countries' first gold medals, just like Hidilyn did for the Philippines in Tokyo three years ago. 

The 33rd edition of this quadrennial sporting event, which gathered the world's best athletes, ended on Sunday, Aug. 11, in the French capital. Yes, Paris 2024 is behind us, but it remains a memorable moment for Saint Lucia's Julie Alfred, Domica's Thea LaFond, Guatemala's Adriana Ruano, and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo.

After winning gold in their respective athletics events, Alfred and LaFond did it in style for their tiny Caribbean island nations. Alfred ruled the women's 100-metre sprint with a national record of 10.72 seconds to become Saint Lucia's first-ever Olympic medalist. LaFond was triumphant in the women's triple jump with a leap of 15.02 metres on her second attempt.

Tebogo was the first African athlete to clinch the men's Olympic 200-metre gold when he crossed the finish line in 19.46 seconds to beat USA's Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles. Former gymnast turned shooter Ruano hit 45 of her 50 targets in the women's trap, then flew to Vatican City to meet and show her gold medal to Pope Francis.

Other athletes who stole the limelight with inspiring stories in this edition of the Olympics, held in Paris for the third time, were the Philippines' Carlos Yulo, Rebecca Andrade of Brazil, Cuban Mijain Lopez, and Kaylia Neymour of Algeria.

Yulo became the second Filipino to win gold, the first male athlete from the Philippines to win gold and the first double-gold medalist. His victories in the floor exercise and vault earned him over $1 million in cash and prizes from the Philippine government and various private businesses.

The 25-year-old Andrade overcame three ACL reconstruction surgeries on her right knee to claim the women's floor exercise gold medal, aside from clinching two silver (all-around and vault) and a bronze (team event). She already had a total of six Olympic medals. She was the Olympic vault champion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the all-around silver.

Lopez ended his Olympic journey on a high note after securing his fifth straight gold in men's Greco-Roman wrestling. The 41-year-old's rule in the heavyweight division started in 2008 in Beijing before adding the gold in London (2012), Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020). He announced his retirement by leaving his shoes on the mat after winning the gold medal match against Yasmani Acosta of Chile.

Then there's Kaylia Nemour of Algeria winning the women's uneven bars gold. She 

represented France from 2017 to 2021 but was cut from the national team after undergoing two knee surgeries and refusing to follow the French Gymnastics Federation's order for her to leave her club and train in Paris. She then chose to represent Algeria, her father's country.

Now, athletes will be busy again for Olympic qualifying tournaments. However, the world's boxers will have to find other prestigious competitions in 2028 after boxing was scrapped from the list of regular sports for the LA Games, along with breaking. Baseball, softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash 

The US had won 118 medals in boxing, 50 of which were gold. They sent eight boxers to Paris, with Omari Jones being the only one to bring home a bronze medal in the men's welterweight division.

The decision to remove boxing was a massive blow to Uzbekistan, China, and other countries like Cuba, the Philippines, and Thailand, which have solid grassroots programs for the sport. However, their boxers have four years to learn the six sports featured in LA 2028. Just kidding!