This Olympic is All About Second
Image Credits: Paris Olympic
“No one remembers who came in second.” The famous quote by Walter Hagen goes like this. However, the current 2024 Paris Olympics have somehow proved that remark wrong. Some athletes have shown that winning people’s hearts matters more than gold medals.
The 2024 Paris Olympics were such a kaleidoscope of performances that it would be hard to choose one with extraordinary talent across the array of sports. Of the many contenders, it was the silver medallists who really came out as determined and nearly perfect performers. Even if they were not first on their respective podiums, it does not belittle their exploits any less. Some of the more noteworthy silver medallists of the 2024 Games follow.
Several rivals performed great in athletics but missed gold by a whisker. One of the big highlights was delivered by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, who ran 9.79 seconds—a couple of milliseconds behind gold medallist Noah Lyles of the United States. The same was also the case in the men’s 10,000 meters, with Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi taking silver in 26:43.44, behind only Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei.
In the women’s high jump, Nicola Olyslagers of Australia cleared a world-class height of 2.00 meters, matched by Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, who took gold thanks to fewer tries. This is something that happens in sports most of the time when such close margins separate silver and gold.
In the 10 meter air pistol mixed team, Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec won silver and turned into a social media sensation overnight. Unlike most Olympic shooters who wear ear protection and specialized glasses that block vision in one eye to reduce glare, Dikec’s casual style made quite a statement. Hashtags for his win surged all over Turkey as his followers multiplied manifold, with people from all across the country and the world logging in to hail the achievement.
Yaqin Zhou took silver in Women’s Balance Beam, and many described her as “adorable” across social media. While the three winners posed with their medals, the other Italian winners did what appeared to be them biting into the medals. Little did Zhou know, and despite being startled, she joined in on the action.
Neeraj Chopra celebrated his second Olympic podium with a silver medal. In the final round, Chopra’s best throw was just a shade below that of the gold medallist. He had lost his gold-winning act in Tokyo but still managed to pocket the silver, which rounded off the magnificent effort as it reaffirmed his position as one of the world’s best javelin throwers. Thus, Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win two Olympic medals in individual events, therefore etching his name indelibly in Indian sporting history.
The silver medal symbolizes the achievement of success and shows that it is the Olympic Games of competitive character where every second counts, every point matters, and every move matters. The 2024 Paris Olympics medallists will be etched in memory for their excellent athletic performances and stories of those so close to being the best in the world.
Team Profile
- Namrata Boruah, currently based in New Delhi, is an aspiring journalist with a keen interest in uncovering inside news and presenting the facts to the public. She is determined to build a career in journalism, driven by a passion for truth and transparency.
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