Winners and Losers of Entire 2024 Paris Olympics

David KenyonFeatured Columnist IVAugust 11, 2024Winners and Losers of Entire 2024 Paris Olympics0 of 11

Ilona MaherAlex Ho/ISI Photos/Getty Images

As the excitement and drama of the 2024 Summer Olympics comes to a close, we’re left daydreaming about the memories.

The world watched United States icon Katie Ledecky in the pool yet again. We followed the drone-flying scandal of Canadian soccer and another U.S. relay meltdown on the track. We saw Leon Marchand become a superstar and USA rugby introduce the nation to the sport.

And so, so much more.

The following list of winners and losers is subjective—and held in respect to every athlete’s ability. These are elite competitors who earned a spot on the international stage. Some of them simply wound up on the disappointing side of results.

As you probably expect, the choices have a heavy U.S. lean and come from an American perspective.

Winner: Leon Marchand Does It All1 of 11

Xavier Laine/Getty Images

Leon Marchand’s star has arrived.

Between being coached by Bob Bowman and this incredible performance in Paris, the French swimmer has drawn comparisons to USA legend Michael Phelps. That, however, should not be your primary takeaway from Marchand’s sensational swims.

The 22-year-old electrified the home crowd and became only the fourth swimmer to secure four individual golds in a single Olympics. That included two golds in one day, something not achieved since 1976.

“That’s probably the greatest double I’ve ever seen in the history of the sport,” Phelps himself said, by the way.

While those comparisons felt inevitable, they are unfair to Marchand. He should not be held to Phelps’ historic standard.

But at the 2028 Games, Marchand—who added a bronze in a relay—will be the reigning champion in the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly and both the 200m and 400m individual medleys.

Don’t be surprised if he’s eyeing a repeat in all four—and aiming for more.

Loser: Canada’s Drone Scandal2 of 11

Bev PriestmanAlex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

What an unfortunate situation for the players.

If all reports are true—and I have no reason to question them—the Canadian women’s soccer team was blindsided.

New Zealand, the first opponent for Canada, complained about drones flying above a closed practice. In the aftermath, the Canadian Olympic Committee sent two staff members home and later suspended head coach Bev Priestman. The team was deducted six points, as well.

Impressively, the reigning gold medalists went 3-0-0 in group play and still advanced to the knockout round. Canada fell to Germany in the quarterfinals, however, losing 4-2 in penalties after a scoreless game.

Competing in the Olympics is an unforgettable experience; unfortunately for this Canadian team, it’ll be for the wrong reasons.

Winner: Katie Ledecky’s Legend Grows3 of 11

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh have become tremendous rivals to Katie Ledecky in the 400m free. Titmus won a second straight gold, and McIntosh climbed into silver position in Paris.

But the 800m and 1,500m still belong to Ledecky, who padded her already-legendary resume this summer.

Ledecky earned gold in her marquee distance swims, along with a silver in the 4×200 relay and bronze in the 400m free. Those medals brought her career Olympic totals to nine golds and 14 overall, tying Ledecky for most golds by a woman. She set the records for most golds by a female swimmer and most golds and total medals by an American woman.

Oh, and she owns the 20 fastest times in 1,500m history after setting an Olympic record and winning by 10.33 seconds in Paris.

Her reign may not be finished yet.

Loser: U.S. Men’s Swimming4 of 11

Caeleb DresselXia Yifang/Xinhua via Getty Images

On the other hand, however, the United States men dealt with plenty of disappointment in the pool.

First, some context.

Michael Phelps last competed in 2016 and earned a pair of gold medals. Ryan Murphy also secured two golds, Anthony Ervin snagged one and seven more U.S. men added a silver or bronze. For good measure, Team USA swept the trio of relays.

Last cycle in Tokyo, the United States men collected another six individual golds—including three from Caeleb Dressel—with four additional individual medals and two relay golds.

Paris was unkind, however.

Long-distance specialist Bobby Finke saved the American day, setting a world record in the 1,500m free to claim the lone individual gold for U.S. men. In addition, silvers went to Finke and Nic Fink with bronzes to Luke Hobson, Ryan Murphy and Carson Foster.

The redeeming note is the USA men won a gold and two silvers in relays, also taking gold in the mixed 4×100.

Still, it was a disappointment for such a talented group of swimmers to not secure a few more individual medals.

Winner: USA Gymnastics5 of 11

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The obvious headliner was Simone Biles, who returned to the Olympic stage in emphatic fashion. She earned her second all-around gold—the sixth straight for the United States in the competition—also taking gold in vault and silver in floor exercise.

But that’s only a part of the USA gymnastics story.

As the women’s team secured all-around gold, the bronze-winning men’s squad took a medal for the first time since 2008.

In addition to Biles, several others—Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Stephen Nedoroscik—won individual hardware.

Team USA totaled nine gymnastics medals, improving on the half-dozen gathered at the Tokyo Games.

Winner: U.S. Rugby’s Epic Medal6 of 11

Alex SedrickAlex Ho/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Not only did Ilona Maher become a recognizable star at these Olympics, but her teammates put together an epic medal win.

While taking on Australia for bronze, the U.S. women needed a miracle to secure some hardware in rugby sevens. Australia took a late 12-7 lead and pinned the Americans deep. In football terms, the USA needed a 95-yard touchdown on the final possession of the game.

Turns out, the Aussies left the U.S. too much time.

NBC Olympics & Paralympics @NBCOlympicsA FINISH YOU HAVE TO SEE TO BELIEVE! 😱

ALEX SEDRICK LEADS TEAM USA TO THE FIRST-EVER OLYMPIC RUGBY SEVENS MEDAL FOR THE UNITED STATES ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME! 🥉 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/1FMu9SWxDo

Alex Sedrick—in equally stunning and valiant fashion—broke through three Australian defenders to even the score. Her subsequent conversion gave the United States an incredible 14-12 triumph.

In securing the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in rugby, Team USA has likely inspired a wave of interest in the sport.

Loser: USA Men’s 4×100 Relay, Again7 of 11

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

At each Summer Games, the United States can be pegged as a medal contender in the 4×100 relay on the track. However, here’s a recap of the problems in the last two decades.

2008: Dropped baton during an exchange2012: Silver medalists stripped of honor due to doping case2016: Disqualified for passing baton outside of handoff zone2020: Failed to make final following bad exchangeUndoubtedly looking for redemption in Paris, the U.S. men immediately saw those aspirations fly away.

The first pass between Christian Coleman and Kenny Bednarek was a disaster and ultimately led to disqualification. The handoff occurred outside of the legal zone. Even if the exchange had been narrowly legal, Team USA finished well outside of a podium spot anyway.

Maybe a little bit of home cooking in Los Angeles will remedy the nightmares of this relay for the United States in 2028.

Winner: USWNT Back on Top8 of 11

Mallory SwansonBrad Smith/ISI/Getty Images

The question was simple: What should we expect from the U.S. women’s national team under new coach Emma Hayes?

Although she was announced by the federation in November 2023, Hayes finished the club season with Chelsea before assuming control of Team USA. She coached her first U.S. game in June, leaving few hours to implement her ideas in advance of the Olympic opener in July.

Clearly, however, it was enough time.

Despite the compact nature of the tournament, Hayes rarely rotated the squad. Most notably, the U.S. leaned very heavily on the attacking trio of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson.

Thanks to a strong defense and clutch saves from Alyssa Naeher—a goalkeeping weapon—it worked perfectly. After rolling to three wins in the group stage, the Americans clipped Japan and Germany, respectively, with 1-0 extra-time triumphs in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. Rodman and Smith provided the winners in those matches.

Swanson then slotted home the decisive tally opposite Brazil, securing the program’s first Olympic gold since 2012.

Loser: All of the Broken Records9 of 11

Photo by Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

The records had a nice run.

All across the Paris Games, athletes set dozens of Olympic and world standards. More than 50 event-specific marks fell.

Team USA accounted for 12 of them, headlined by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (WR; 400m hurdles) and Ledecky (OR; 1,500m free).

Also for the United States, Finke (WR; 1,500m free) lowered the world standard, and distance runner Cole Hocker (OR; 1,500m run) earned a surprise gold as he penned a spot in Olympic history. Speed climber Sam Watson set a world record, as well.

Among individuals, French star Leon Marchand held the individual lead of four Olympic records in Paris.

The newest world standards will be challenged during the next four years, but Los Angeles officially has its ORs to beat.

Winner: The Dream Redeem Team10 of 11

DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images

No matter what you label this USA basketball squad—I’m a fan of “The Avengers” nickname, too—it was a dream team.

All-time legend LeBron James, iconic shooter Stephen Curry, Olympic record-setter Kevin Durant, the list goes on. The stellar roster did exactly what it was assembled to accomplish and won gold.

Yes, it included some drama.

After breezing to the semifinals against Serbia, the United States overcame a 17-point deficit and pulled out a nerve-wracking finish to reach the gold-medal game. Opposite the host nation, Curry’s unconscious shooting in the final minutes allowed the U.S. to navigate a stingy French team in a 98-87 victory.

And they are golden.

Whether the USA program will place a larger emphasis on the FIBA World Cup remains a legitimate question. The last two tournaments ended with underwhelming U.S. rosters not on the podium.

Nevertheless, once again—for the fifth straight and 17th time in 21 cycles—the Olympics belong to the United States.

Winner: USA Basketball’s Narrow Sweep11 of 11

Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

In both 5×5 basketball finals, the United States held off a late charge from France to lock up a gold.

But the U.S. women really survived a dramatic finish.

Kahleah Copper made two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to give the Americans a three-point lead. France quickly pushed down the court, and Gabby Williams banked in a shot at the buzzer. Unfortunately for her, she’d already passed the three-point line.

So, instead of a remarkable game-tying triple, Williams made a harmless two-pointer that secured Team USA’s 67-66 victory and an eighth consecutive gold for the program.

What a way to wrap up the Olympics.