All the Athletes Who Made History During the 2024 Paris Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics is one for the books.
After all, gifted athletes from across the globe pushed boundaries at the sporting event, surpassing yearslong records in their quest for a gold medal.
In fact, the athleticism displayed this year has been so impressive that some competitors managed to break barriers even before stepping foot at the Olympic Village.
Take American gymnast Hezly Rivera, for example, who made Team USA history when she snagged a spot on women’s gymnastics team alongside Olympic vets Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey in early July. Having turned 16 just the prior month, she became youngest athlete to represent Team USA in any sport.
Quincy Wilson also, as Team USA put it, "etched his name" in history when he made the 4x400m relay squad seven months after his 16th birthday, becoming the youngest male athlete to make the U.S. track and field team.
But the 2024 Olympics itself is also a game-changer. For the first-time ever, the athletic competition—which first welcomed women athletes 124 years ago—achieved gender parity on the field of play, ensuring equal representation of male and female athletes, according to the International Olympics Committee.
Calling this year's event "one of the most important moments in the history of women at the Olympic Games, and in sport overall," IOC president Thomas Bach promised that the organization's "commitment to advancing gender equality does not end in Paris."
“We will continue to open pathways for women and to work with our stakeholders, encouraging them to take the necessary steps to advance gender equality in their area of responsibility," Bach added. "The IOC will keep leading the way and using the power of sport to contribute to a more equal and inclusive society.”
To see all the history-making moments at the 2024 Paris Olympics, keep reading.
The Australian swimmer set an Olympic record with a time of 1:53.27 in women’s 200m freestyle, beating out defending champ and teammate Ariarne Titmus for the gold.
No other gymnast except Simone Biles has ever performed the difficult double layout aptly dubbed the "Biles I" at the Olympics—until the Hillary Heron came along.
The Panamanian athlete successfully landed it while competing against the challenging stunt's namesake during the Paris Summer Games' gymnastics qualifier.
Team Canada scored its first gold medal in judo thanks to the Christa Deguchi, who defeated Republic of Korea's Huh Mimi in a heated July 29 match.
By winning a gold medal in K1, the canoeist became the first Australian athlete to win four consecutive Olympic medals in the same event—having taken home bronze at Tokyo 2020 and at Rio de Janeiro 2016, as well as silver in London 2012.
She is now tied with Slovakia's Michal Martikán as the most-decorated Olympic slalom paddler.
In her first-ever Summer Games, the American swimmer broke the Olympic record in the 100m butterfly semifinal with a time of 55.38 seconds.
South Sudan—the youngest country in the world—made its Olympics debut on July 28, with their men's basketball team playing against Puerto Rico.
The South Sudan Bright Stars won their first-ever Olympic game with a final score of 90-79 .
Stephen Nedoroscik, Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda and Asher Hong won Team USA's first medal in men's gymnastics in 16 years, earning a bronze.
The basketball player made history as the first Black flagbearer for Greece during the Opening Ceremony.
The track and field star, who turned 16 in January, "etched his name" in history, according to Team USA, when he became the youngest male athlete to make 4x400m relay squad.
As for the youngest athlete in any sport to make Team USA? That'll be Rivera, who turned 16 just weeks before she was selected to join the women's gymnastics team.
Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics daily on NBC and Peacock until the summer games end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
