By Paris
CNN
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Well, that first week just flew by, didn’t it?
The 2024 Summer Olympics are heading into their second weekend, and it’s truly been one for the history books. From Simone Biles’ incredible comeback story to Léon Marchand’s week for the ages in the pool to that blue guy in the opening ceremony, the Paris Olympics have already produced some indelible images that will live on long after they’re over.
Here are the 10 top storylines from the first week of these Olympic Games:
Simone Biles is all the way back
The 27-year-old American gymnast was already the most decorated athlete to ever take part in her sport. Now she can comfortably call herself the greatest of all time – and she’s got the GOAT necklace to prove it.
Anchoring Team USA to the team gold medal and then following it up with a stirring comeback in the all-around competition two days later, Biles put up legendary, clutch performances that seemed tailor-made for her to shine.
After the depths of her withdrawal from the team competition in Tokyo, her triumphs this week have brought her back to the mountaintop. It’s an incredible story of self-care, self-preservation and mental toughness that Biles has been open and honest about throughout her time in Paris.
Read more about Biles’ moment in the spotlight during Tuesday’s team final
Léon Marchand becomes a French legend
Four gold medals have turned the 22-year-old swimmer Léon Marchand from a promising star to a French legend in the span of days.
La Défense Arena just outside Paris has practically vibrated with the sound of Marchand’s countrymen and women singing his name this week as he’s become the face of the home nation’s athletes during these Olympics. Taking his fourth gold medal on Friday, Marchand seemed to be pushed through the water by the boisterous support in what might be the loudest arena at the Games.
Marchand said he’s been feeding off the cries of “Allez!” and the chant of “Lé-on!” that has been echoing around the pool most nights.
“I’m using all the energy from the stadium in this,” he said, “so I swim as fast as possible in every race.”
Read more about the moment Marchand became a legend
The Blue Man becomes the center of controversy
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clzd846dy00323b6kcmejz539@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clz7grilh0000356kctdjeanw@published" data-video-id="me7ccdb8418f7fe020a2a5f9874ef955f979c66a5d" data-media-id="me7ccdb8418f7fe020a2a5f9874ef955f979c66a5d" data-live="" data-analytics-aggregate-events="true" data-custom-experience="" data-asset-type="hlsTs" data-auth-type="none" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-medium-env="" data-autostart="disabled" data-show-ads="true" data-source="CNN" data-featured-video="true" data-headline="Controversial 'blue man' at Olympic ceremony says he's sorry" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne speaks to French entertainer Philippe Katerine, who appeared as semi-naked Greek god Dionysus during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.</p>" data-duration="01:57" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
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<a class=”byline__image-link” href=”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/saskya-vandoorne-profile”>
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By <a class=”byline__link” href=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/saskya-vandoorne-profile><span class=”byline__name”>Saskya Vandoorne</span></a>, <span class=”byline__name”>Max Burnell</span>, <span class=”byline__name”>Nicholas Blatt</span> and <span class=”byline__name”>Jimmy Hutcheon</span>, CNN
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It was one of the more memorable moments of arguably the most unique opening ceremony in history, but one that has sparked controversy around the world. The scene in question has been described by some critics as a parody of “The Last Supper,” which featured drag artists and multiple dancers.
The performance and scene in question also included Philippe Katerine, a French entertainer who featured as the Greek god of wine Dionysus and quickly became known as the “semi-naked blue guy.” In the scene, Katerine sang a song while lying on a table, seemingly without clothes and covered head-to-toe in glittery blue paint.
Olympic organizers apologized for the scene after it was criticized by the Catholic church and Christian groups. The French Catholic Church said the festivities “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity.” Katerine too apologized if his appearance shocked people, calling it a misunderstanding.
Read more from CNN’s interview with Philippe Katerine
The River Seine holds the triathlon after big worries over water quality
After more than a billion dollars in investment, two days of canceled training and a postponed men’s race, the Olympic triathlon went ahead on Wednesday. And the athletes swam in the River Seine, allowing city leadership to say they had won their bet on the race.
Heavy rains battered Paris over the weekend, drenching Friday’s opening ceremony and raising concerns about water quality in the river, which usually declines after rainfall. The decision to hold some swimming events in the famous river that splits Paris raised eyebrows when it was first announced. Swimming in the Seine has been illegal for a century, but, in their desire to put the host city on full display, organizers worked up a plan to clean up the river so the world’s best athletes could use it during Paris 2024.
But the race went off and had drama to boot – France’s Cassandre Beaugrand eventually was crowned women’s triathlon Olympic champion on home soil, roared across the finish line by a boisterous French crowd that broke out into a rendition “La Marseillaise.”
Great Britain’s Alex Yee produced a sensational finish to take the lead of the men’s triathlon on the final bend and snatch the gold medal away from New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde. Wilde had opened up a 15-second lead during the run, the third and final portion of the race, but Yee hunted him down spectacularly over the last 1.5 kilometers.
Read more on the race
Novak Djokovic’s quest for the golden slam
The Serb tennis great is into the men’s singles tennis finals, looking to win one more match to gain the only honor he has not held in his sport: an Olympic gold medal.
Should he go all the way at these Olympics, the 37-year-old would join Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi as the third man to win all four grand slams and a gold medal in singles. It’s a feat, sometimes described as a career golden slam, only achieved by Steffi Graf and Serena Williams in the women’s game.
Wearing strapping over a surgically repaired knee, Djokovic defeated longtime rival Nadal in their highly anticipated second-round matchup. He was tested but cruised through the rest of the week and faces Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the final, a rematch of the Wimbledon final last month.
Read more about Djokovic’s chase for gold
Ilona Maher and the US women’s rugby sevens team burst onto the scene
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clzd86ex7003i3b6kggzu7guv@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clzabzfka0000356gaunfcxhy@published" data-video-id="mecab79f3b0fae34d473e4fa6797723fb8b4aa6ce7" data-media-id="mecab79f3b0fae34d473e4fa6797723fb8b4aa6ce7" data-live="" data-analytics-aggregate-events="true" data-custom-experience="" data-asset-type="hlsTs" data-auth-type="none" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-medium-env="" data-autostart="disabled" data-show-ads="true" data-source="CNN" data-featured-video="true" data-headline="Women's Rugby Olympian shares how she deals with haters" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>Women's Rugby Olympian Ilona Maher speaks with CNN's Coy Wire from Paris, sharing an inspiring message for young girls.</p>" data-duration="00:50" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
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By <span class=”byline__name”>Samantha Lindell</span>, CNN
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