[ODDS and EVENS] Paris Olympics Delivered Compelling Drama

With more than 10,700 athletes competing in 32 different sports, the Paris Olympics showcased an incredible variety of sporting events and personalities. Human drama on the global stage.

From start to finish, it certainly lived up to the hype. And the icing on the cake was the overall festive vibe, a joie de vivre that was contagious ― close to the bevy of activity or half a world away.

What follows is not a methodical attempt to rank the biggest or most important stories of the Olympic Games.

Instead, this is a short list of outstanding Olympians who captured my attention. (Team Japan, which collected 45 medals, certainly did, too.)

The Top Star of the Paris Olympics

Let's start with sensational French swimmer Leon Marchand, who provided thrill after thrill for the Olympic host country with jaw-dropping brilliance in the pool, starting on July 28 and ending on August 4. It all added up to four gold medals (200-meter breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley) and a bronze (4x100 medley relay).

Marchand, now 22, placed sixth (400 IM), 14th (200 butterfly) and 18th (200 IM) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Three years later, he's the King of Swimming.

Time will tell if he can achieve sustained excellence like Michael Phelps. But right now Marchand is the undisputed superstar of men's swimming, filling a void in the sport since Phelps' retirement in 2016.

In an interview with BBC Sport, aired days after his final Paris 2024 race, Marchand admitted he was living on cloud nine, saying he's "still waiting to wake up." He described the overall Olympic experience as one that "feels like a dream."

Watching live broadcasts and video highlights of Marchand swimming at Paris La Defense Arena in suburban Nanterre, France, was an exercise in seeing someone who's No 1 in the world in their profession raise the bar even more. Marchand captured more gold medals than any other participant at the Paris Olympics, and he did it with spectacular performance after spectacular performance.

He set Olympic records in all four of his individual events.

The King of the Pole Vault

At the Stade de France, which accommodated 80,000 spectators for Olympic track and field competitions, Sweden's Armand "Mondo" Duplantis fulfilled a dream on August 5.

Duplantis broke his own world record in the pole vault, soaring 6.25 meters (20.5 feet) in the air and over the bar. It marked the ninth time Mondo has broken his own world record. And the celebratory joy that he shared with fans after breaking the mark was electric.

Duplantis, a 24-year-old American-born global athletics sensation, spoke later about the sense of accomplishment that his second consecutive Olympic gold medal produced.

"The biggest dream since I was a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics," Duplantis said, according to NBCOlympics.com. "I've been able to do it in front of the most ridiculous crowd I've ever competed in front of."

An Inspiration In and Out of the Boxing Ring

Born in Cameroon, Cindy Ngamba relocated to the United Kingdom at age 11 as a refugee.

Boxing became an integral part of her life in her new homeland, providing a sense of purpose. More than a decade later, she became the first member of the Refugee Olympic Team to earn a medal.

Ngamba secured a bronze medal in the women's boxing 75-kilogram division on August 8 at Roland Garros Stadium.

She achieved a personal goal by becoming an Olympic medalist. And Ngamba recognizes the significance of being a Refugee Olympic Team member with an Olympic medal.

"It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee to win a medal," Ngamba said, according to The Associated Press. "I want to say to all the refugees around the world ... keep on working hard, keep on believing in yourself."

History Made at the Paris Olympics: Botswana's First-Ever Olympic Gold

Letsile Tebogo, 21, will never forget August 8. That was the night the Botswana sprinter crossed the finish line in first place in the men's 200-meter final at the Stade de France in 19.46 seconds, a continental record for Africa.

Tebogo became the first athlete from Botswana to win an Olympic gold medal. He's the first African to win the 200-meter sprint event.

"It means a lot to the African continent because now they see Africa as a sprinting home," Tebogo told reporters after his historic achievement. "So, we just had to make sure that the message is loud and clear."

Indeed, it's a big deal for him. 

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi set the tone for the nation to honor Tebogo. Masisi said Botswana should "pause and celebrate him," making August 9 a half-day national holiday (on a Friday afternoon).

Tebogo delivered joy to his homeland while at the same time honoring his late mother Seratiwa, who passed away in May. He ran the Olympic final with her birthday written on one of his sprinting spikes.

"It's basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field," Tebogo told reporters after the race. "She's watching up there, and she's really, really happy."

Gymnastics Great Biles is Back on Top

Eight years after Simone Biles won four Olympic gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the American gymnast reclaimed the top prize in her chosen sport.

With a dazzling display of showmanship and an incredible display of athleticism, Biles finished in first place in the women's all-around final on August 1, topping Brazil's Rebeca Andrade by 1.199 points.

In a way, it reminded me of when Muhammad Ali became heavyweight champion of the world for the second time.

In Paris, Biles returned to the top after a shocking departure from several events at the Tokyo Olympics.

She acknowledged as much in the joyful aftermath of the all-around final.

"It means the world to me," she was quoted as saying by the BBC. "I'm super proud of my performance and the fight that I've had for the last three years ― mentally and physically ― just to get back."

Curry Ignites Team USA in Victories Over Serbia, France

A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Stephen Curry has won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors.

Appearing in the Olympics for the first time, Curry produced a condensed version of his illustrious career in pivotal stretches of back-to-back games, the biggest games of the tournament, in France.   

Curry poured in a game-high 36 points, including 9-for-18 from 3-point range, against Serbia in a come-from-behind 95-91 victory in the semifinals on August 8. He scored 18 first-half points and sank several big shots in the comeback. Vintage Curry.

Team USA trailed by 13 points entering the fourth quarter.

In the gold-medal match, Curry led the US with 24 points, all coming from beyond the arc (8 of 13) in a 98-87 win over France on August 10.

Never timid about taking a shot, Curry knocked down four 3s in the final 2:43 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory as Team USA won its fifth consecutive gold in men's basketball.

Curry, 36, reminded everyone of his greatness as a player during the Paris Olympics. And he did it with poise.

"You just stay confident, stay present and don't get rattled by the moment," he told reporters after the victory.

RELATED:

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• EDITORIAL |  Bravo to the Olympic Athletes Winning in an Early Medal Rush

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.