The 2024 Paris Olympics has been the center of attention. From the opening ceremony to watching our favorites shatter world and Olympic records – the iconic moments haven’t been sparse. One such moment came from one of the best athletes of this generation, Mondo Duplantis. Known to push his boundaries, the Swedish pole vault star was set to defend his Olympic title at the Stade de France on August 6. The 24-year-old went ahead and did what was expected of him by setting a new world record of 6.25 meters, successfully claiming yet another Olympic gold to his name.

As incredible as this feat was, his ‘ice cold’ celebration caught everyone’s eye. Duplantis put his left hand inside the waistband of his shorts, as he raised his other hand to imitate pointing a gun. Does it sound familiar? The Olympian paid tribute to the Turkish John Wick, Yusuf Dikec. But not even a day later, Roje Stona had put Jamaica on the top of the podium by clinching an Olympic gold in the men’s discus throw finals. Following the Swedish athlete’s footsteps, Stona immortalized his historic win by honoring the 51-year-old pistol shooter.

But this isn’t the only reason that makes the Jamaican’s win iconic. Amidst a thunderous cheer from the stands, Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna had just set a new Olympic record by hurling a 69.97m in his second attempt. Following up on that attempt seemed tough, but Stona looked like he was up for it. He stepped up for his fourth attempt on the discus ring, letting the discus go. It effortlessly sailed through the field, hitting the 70.00m mark.

The Lithuanian’s father Virgilijus previously owned the Olympic record of 69.89m. Even though he had bested that record, the Jamaican clinched the nation’s first Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the event. We can see why he decided to celebrate his monumental feat the way he did. We’ve already witnessed the impact the Turkish has left on the internet. So, it’s no surprise that his fellow Olympians see him that way too. Imitation truly is the purest form of flattery.

But what catapulted Yusuf Dikec into the spotlight? Amidst an ocean of technology in the 10-m air pistol mixed team event, the 51-year-old stuck out like a sore thumb. He showed up wearing nothing but a T-shirt, a casual pair of pants, and regular glasses. With an air of nonchalance, he stepped up for yet another shot at Olympic glory. Despite being at what many would consider a disadvantage, he effortlessly clinched a silver medal with his hand in his pocket. Just like that, he has now been immortalized as an iconic meme.

Breaking world records comes naturally to Mondo Duplantis

Crowds at Stade de France enjoyed a thrilling day of sports on August 6. But the crown jewel of the evening was the men’s pole vault finals. As his competitors took a shot at several of the earlier heights, Mondo Duplantis instead watched them sprawled out by the sidelines. However, as the height approached 5.80m, the Swedish cleared each of them in his first attempts. Seeing how he has always dominated the event, this caught no one by surprise.

Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis and USA’s Sam Kendricks couldn’t go any further than 5.9m and 5.95m respectively, claiming a bronze and a silver as their own. Like many pole vault competitions, all eyes were now on Duplantis. He first took a shot at surpassing Thiago Braz’s Olympic record and cleared 6.10m with ease. It was now time to step it up and attempt the world record – which he failed to clear in his first two attempts. Undeterred, he tried to scale the massive height in his last attempt.

The crowd watched with bated breath as he crept over the bar with ease. He quickly got on his feet and ran to his family to celebrate. For the ninth time in his career, Duplantis had obliterated yet another record. In his post-event interview, the new Olympic champion opened up about what that moment felt like. “What can I say? I just broke a world record at the Olympics, biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter.” He had always dreamed of breaking the world record at the Summer Games, and that moment truly lived up to its hype!