The Olympics are one of those “once-in-a-lifetime” events. It’s where history happens in real time, and we’re lucky enough to watch it unfold. Athletes pour everything they’ve got into their performances, pushing their bodies to the limit after years of hard work, and all-consuming training. But it is not just the medals and the incredible performances that it leaves in our minds. There are also those moments outside the field that are just as touching and amazing.

For now, let us fast forward to the present and find out more about how these Games have developed. Half a century ago, when women participated in the Olympic games for the first time, there were only 22 females among 997 sportsmen. This year has been the Olympics with the first-ever record of equal numbers of male and female athletes. That meant more chances for women than ever before to grab medals and records, and they did! So let me take you down memory lane and take a look back at the top 5 women who turned the wheel in Paris and show that women can actually do anything.

Simone Biles

Everyone was waiting for Simone Biles to make her big return to the Olympics after everything that happened in Tokyo 2020. We all remember the “twisties” she faced last time, which led to her pulling out of some events. However, after the performance Biles put up during the World Championships in 2023, it was clear that Biles had trained hard and was ready to get back and reclaim her position.

And Biles did not disappoint. She kicked things off with a flawless balance beam routine, scoring 14.733, the highest score of the competition. But then, just before her floor routine, Biles’ world turned upside down. She landed awkwardly while warming up, and the pain on her face reflected as she limped off the mat. She was back soon, just with her lower leg covered with tape. It then emerged that she had tweaked her calf muscle during the qualifying round, which was hardly the message anyone expected to receive.

But here’s the thing about Simone Biles: she’s not one to back down. She continued walking while even injured. She then continued her workout while she stretched, pulled on a compression sleeve, and walked that off. And guess what? She emerged victorious in this category and went home with the all-around gold with a total of 59.566. She was followed by teammate Sunisa Lee, who lagged by 3.5 points. Not only did she make sure Team USA won gold in the women’s team final, but Biles also successfully won gold in the individual final, gold in the vault, and silver in the floor exercise. Last, Biles collected 11 Olympic medals to break all past records and become the best gymnast of all time.

Rebeca Andrade

Picture this: a young girl who wants to grow up in a slum town near Sao Paulo, who sometimes does not have money for bus fare, walks many kilometers just to reach the gymnastics gym. That is how most of these tales start: before the gold was found and before the fame came true, there was just the dream. It is the success story of an athlete, Rebeca Andrade. But even after winning fame, her life was filled with significant hurdles any athlete may encounter, but much more: three major setbacks that include three severe ACL injuries. But Andrade didn’t give up. She built on and in the 2024 Paris Olympics and asserted she is really capable of so much.

And then we crossed on to Paris, and Rebeca not only joined in, she was also setting up new records. You will recall one routine, among the others, that she made her worth on was the floor exercise, which was dominated by Biles. But this time, it was Rebeca’s turn to dominate. She got 14.166, and from there, she challenged them to higher scores. We knew that when Simone started it, it would be a close call, but Simone slipped twice out of bounds, and that was enough to give the gold to Rebeca by a margin of 0.033.

Biles even joked, “I’m tired. She’s way too close,” showing just how much Rebeca had closed the gap. And the best moment was when Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed down at her after her Paris Olympics floor won.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was undoubtedly on cloud nine after her performance in Tokyo where she won and broke the 400m hurdles world record. But then, 2023 hit her with a reality check: injuries. A few mishaps that prevented her from competing in the World Championships was a major loss for one of the most successful competitors in that type of event. Instead of allowing it to bring her down, she saw it as a chance to start over again. It is even more laughable that she kicked off her this season in April and yet ruled the season.

Then came the Paris Olympics, and here Sydney was prepared. This was not only for her to stave off the challenge of the opponents but for her to show the world that she was unbeatable. At the time she got into the 400m hurdles final, you could tell that it was a significant race. There was immense pressure, but Sydney was very much into the game. She competed as if she had a score to settle and didn’t make a wrong step or a wrong decision as she navigated the hurdles without any air of uncertainty or exhaustion. As she finished, the clock showed 50.37 seconds, a new world record and her sixth time to set it. She has done it; she has successfully defended her Olympic gold and rewritten the history once again.

Julien Alfred

Growing up in Saint Lucia, Julien Alfred knew that in order to achieve her goals, she would have to move out of the country. At the age of fourteen, she had to make one of the hardest decisions of her life, and that was to move to Jamaica in order to train with some of the top athletes. But was it enough of a sacrifice? Of course not! In  2013, Alfred lost her dad, to whom she was very close. It affected her a lot, and at one time, she had to take a break from the sport. It wasn’t easy, but at that time, she was able to gain the courage to go on. Her father had always been her role model, and his memory was something she held dear, and it became her major strength.

On top of that, Julien faced injuries too. Yet, instead of giving up, she bounced back. And finally, Julien won Olympic gold in the 100m at Paris 2024, which was Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal.

Katie Ledecky

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the American swimmer Katie Ledecky was the first woman swimmer to land gold medals in four Olympics. In the 1500m freestyle, she dominated, setting a new Olympic record with a time of 15:30.02. For Ledecky, it wasn’t only a competition to beat other swimmers; it was a race with the pressure that comes with ranking as the best amongst your peers. Indeed, prior to the race, everyone already had the picture in mind that she would win, but what people didn’t know was by how many points. All she wanted was to swim a time she could be proud of, and she was able to do it.

Katie has known all of those things for a long time before she could ever actually live them, but it has not been a smooth journey for her. Her success story did not come out of the blue. She has experienced the mental and physical demands of being at the top for many years, and every Olympic quadrennial, the pressure rises.

Nevertheless, she incorporated that pressure and continued to work hard to perform even harder to meet that pressure. Other medals she won in the Paris Olympics were gold in the 800m, bronze in the 400m freestyle, and silver in the 4x200m relay. With 14 Olympic medals, she became the most decorated U.S. female Olympian ever!

Now that you know of the five emotional moments from the Summer Olympics, what are the others that you think stood out? Let us know in the comments below.