The Paris 2024 Olympics witnessed several moments where athletes and teams who were not expected to win managed to pull off surprising victories or achieved extraordinary feats. Here are some of the teams and athletes who surprised the audience by taking on the medal favourites and emerging victorious:
Host France halts Fiji’s 17-match Olympic winning streak
France claimed its first gold medal of its own Olympics and first of any kind in men’s rugby sevens when Antoine Dupont led it to a stunning 28-7 win over double-defending champion Fiji on an unforgettable night. Fiji had won all 17 of its previous matches in the Olympics and was hot favourite to complete a hattrick of titles against a team that did not even qualify for Tokyo, but the bookmakers reckoned without the remarkable Dupont, who took a sabbatical from the national XV team to join the Sevens project. He might have been on the pitch for only seven minutes but Dupont’s impact was immense, tearing open a game level at 7-7 by setting up the try that put France ahead and then scoring two himself. It sparked an extraordinary scenes, as the crowd roared and the players danced on the pitch.
Sha’Carri Richardson’s silver lining
All eyes were on Sha’Carri Richardson as she attempted to end a long American wait for Olympic women’s 100 metres gold – but it was Julien Alfred, from an island of 180,000 people, who stole the show. The Saint Lucian sprinter delivered a brilliant performance to win the 100 metres final in a national record 10.72 seconds, beating world champion Richardson who had to settle for silver and breaking Jamaica’s recent stranglehold over the event. That it was Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal only made the moment sweeter. Saint Lucia, an Eastern Caribbean island nation, had never previously had an athlete on the Olympic podium while Americans have won well over 300 titles in athletics alone, topping the all-time medal table by a massive margin.
Reigning champion Canada knocked out
Canada was eliminated from women’s football in the quarterfinals, going down 4-2 on penalties to Germany to end a controversial title defence which began with a spying scandal. After the match finished 0-0 at the end of extra time, goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was Germany’s hero in the shoot-out in Marseille as she saved from both Ashley Lawrence and Adriana Leon, and then stepped up to convert the winning spot-kick. Canada was hit with the points deduction as well as a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000) by FIFA as a punishment after a staff member used a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session ahead of its opening match at the tournament, which Canada won 2-1.
Spain upsets defending champion Belgium in men’s hockey
Eighth-ranked Spain upset reigning champion Belgium 3-2 in the men’s hockey quarterfinals as skipper Marc Miralles netted a crucial third goal with three minutes to go before the defence stifled an attempted comeback. Spain had not made it past the last eight since Beijing 2008, while Belgium reached the last two Olympic finals, with several of its players holding gold and silver medals from the Tokyo and Rio Games respectively. Forward Jose Maria Basterra opened the scoring in the 40th minute by converting a goalkeeper deflection off a blistering pass from defender Jordi Bonastre but the lead did not last long as Belgium’s Arthur de Sloover equalised a minute later. Forward Marc Reyne put Spain back in front after 55 minutes with a strike from the field and Miralles stretched the lead before Alexander Hendrickx pulled a goal back.
India’s first Olympic win vs Australia since 1972
India beat World No. 4 Australia, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, 3-2 in its final Pool B match. This is Indian men’s first Olympic win against Australia since 1972 in Munich. India started strong with a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, thanks to Abhishek’s 12th-minute goal and captain Harmanpreet Singh’s penalty corner conversion in the 13th. Despite Australia’s attempts, goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh kept it at bay. Australia pulled one back with Thomas Craig’s goal in the 25th minute, making it 1-2 at halftime. Harmanpreet extended India’s lead to 3-1 in the third quarter with a penalty stroke after a video review. Blake Govers scored a penalty stroke for Australia in the final quarter, but India held on to secure the win and end the group stage on a high note.
Biles off the beam and podium
Simone Biles fell off the balance beam during her performance in the apparatus final. The American gymnast finished fifth with 13.100 points with -0.3 penalty points after the fall with her compatriot Sunisa Lee finishing sixth. Wearing a blue-and-white leotard featuring over crystals, Biles was more than halfway through her routine when she couldn’t keep her balance. She hopped off the beam and onto the mat while thousands inside a packed Bercy Arena let out an audible “ohhh.” Italy’s Alice D’Amato won the gold medal in the event. China’s Zhou Yaqin won the silver medal and Italy’s Manila Esposito took the bronze.
Vinesh stuns World No 1 Yui Susaki
India’s Vinesh Phogat upset the top-seeded grappler in women’s 50kg wrestling, Japan’s Yui Susaki, to qualify for the quarterfinals. Susaki, a four-time World champion and the Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo, was unbeaten in the last 82 international fights. Vinesh, on the other hand, was competing at the 50kg for the first time after cutting down from the 53kg. Susaki led 0-2, courtesy of passivity points, with the last 10 seconds of the bout remaining but the Indian found a way to get a scoring move and take a 3-2 victory by points. The score was tied at 2-2 but the Japanese lost another point for an unsuccessful challenge. Vinesh, went on to reach the final, but was disqualified for being overweight by slightly more than 100m grams from the permissible weight limit.
Ingebrigtsen finishes fourth as Hocker wins 1,500m gold
American Cole Hocker delivered a major upset by winning the 1,500 meters gold with a dramatic finish, overtaking world champion Josh Kerr and leaving defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in fourth. Ingebrigtsen set a fast pace, but Kerr surged ahead as he did in last year’s world championships. However, Hocker found a gap on the inside to clinch victory with a time of 3:27.65, setting an Olympic record and achieving a massive personal best. Kerr posted a national record 3:27.79, while Yared Nuguse claimed bronze for the U.S. with a personal best of 3:27.80. Ingebrigtsen, despite a faster time than his Tokyo Olympic record, finished fourth.
World No. 1 Wang Chuqin defeated by Moregard and a broken bat
China’s table tennis world number one Wang Chuqin suffered a shock defeat in the men’s singles, a day after having his bat broken. Wang won mixed doubles gold a day earlier in Paris but his elation quickly turned to anger after a photographer accidentally snapped his bat while jostling to take a picture. Wang exited round of 32 of the singles after a 4-2 defeat to 26th-ranked Truls Moregard of Sweden. Moregard, 22, sank to his knees in disbelief before doing a tour of the crowd, which rose in appreciation.
China’s Zheng stuns top seed Swiatek in semifinal
World number one, Iga Swiatek of Poland, suffered a shock defeat against China’s Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals at Roland Garros. Swiatek, the overwhelming favourite for gold after claiming a third successive French Open title this year, was outplayed by the sixth seed, losing 6-2, 7-5. In snapping Swiatek’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, Australian Open runner-up Zheng became the first Chinese player to reach the singles final at an Olympic tournament. Zheng later on became the first Chinese to win a singles Olympic gold.
