From a colorful, sometimes controversial opening ceremony to boxers caught up in a gender row to respectful bows on the gymnastics podium, the 2024 Olympics served up many memorable moments. AFP Sport looks at 9 of the best:

Rain on opening ceremony parade

Organizers promised a spectacular opening ceremony and the rain-soaked boat parade on the River Seine ended up making global headlines, but not for the expected reasons. Church leaders, conservatives and even US presidential candidate Donald Trump were left outraged by a scene involving drag queens and DJ Barbara Butch that appeared to parody Jesus’ Last Supper. Artistic director Thomas Jolly denied any such intention. He and others involved ended up facing vicious online harassment that led to police complaints.

Cool hand Yusuf

Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist Yusuf Dikec became an overnight sensation for his casual style during competition. His eye-catching posture saw the marksman wearing standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually tucked in his pocket. Other than his pistol, he notably had none of the specialized equipment used by athletes in the hyper-precise event, like headphones, special lenses or a hat. "The name’s Dikec. Yusuf Dikec,” said a social media post in reference to cinema icon James Bond.

Olympic silver medalist shooter Yusuf Dikec who shoots in the mixed team 10-metre air pistol category in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and won the silver medal poses for a photograph.

Biles bows to ‘queen’ Andrade

Simone Biles may have been the star of the show but she was widely praised for bowing to her arch-rival Rebeca Andrade on the podium. Biles said it was "just the right thing to do” after she and team-mate Jordan Chiles finished in silver and bronze medal position respectively behind the Brazilian in the floor final. "Rebeca’s so amazing, she’s queen,” said Biles. Romanian Ana Barbosu was later awarded the bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chiles should not have been upgraded from her initial fifth-place finish.

(From left to right) US' Simone Biles (silver), Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (gold) and US' Jordan Chiles (bronze) pose during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's floor exercise event.

High five for Cuban wrestler

Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez made Olympic history when he became the first athlete to win five consecutive individual golds in the same event, bettering the records of Games icons such as Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps. The soon-to-be 42-year-old then placed his shoes in the centre of the mat to signify his intention to retire. "Wrestling has been the love of my life, for all of my life,” he said. 

Cuba's Mijain Lopez Nunez removes his shoes as a signal that he is retiring after beating Chile's Yasmani Acosta Fernandez in their men's greco-roman 130kg wrestling final match at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.

Gender-row boxer beats ‘bullying’

On a raucous night at Roland Garros, the storied home of the French Open, Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold and used her platform to hit back at "attacks” and "bullying” before defiantly declaring "I am a woman like any other.” Together with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also fought in Paris, Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships after they failed gender eligibility tests. However they were cleared to compete in Paris, setting the stage for one of the biggest controversies of the Games. "I am fully qualified to take part, I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, lived a woman and competed as a woman,” said the 25-year-old.

Gold medallist Algeria's Imane Khelif poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's 66kg final boxing category.

Not cricket as Pakistan top India at javelin

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the men’s javelin title, his country’s first individual gold at an Olympics, with a Games record of 92.97m. In second place was India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra. "Rivalry is there when it comes to cricket matches, other sports, the two countries have a rivalry, but it’s a good thing for the young people in both countries to watch our sport and follow us. It’s a positive thing for both countries,” said Nadeem.

Arshad Nadeem of Team Pakistan competes in the Men's Javelin Throw qualification on day seven of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 21, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.

Lyles just in time

World champion Noah Lyles roared to victory in 9.79sec to claim gold in a dramatic men’s Olympic 100m final in the closest finish in modern history - just five thousandths of a second separated him from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson. "I’m the man amongst all of them. I’m the wolf amongst wolves,” said Lyles whose victory was only confirmed after a photo-finish.

(From bottom) Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, US' Noah Lyles, Jamaica's Oblique Seville, South Africa's Akani Simbine, Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, US' Fred Kerley and US' Kenneth Bednarek approach the finish line in the men's 100m final of the athletics event.

Djokovic’s roar of approval

Novak Djokovic stunned Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable men’s final to clinch tennis gold and become only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus Olympic gold. The 37-year-old celebrated with a roar which echoed around Roland Garros before the tearful Serb clambered into the player’s box to embrace his wife Jelena and two children. "There is no greater inspiration than representing your country,” said the 24-time Grand Slam title winner. Alcaraz was also in tears, claiming he "had let Spain down”.

Gold medallist, Serbia's Novak Djokovic poses with his medal on the podium at the presentation ceremony for the men's singles tennis event on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

North-South Korea podium selfie goes viral

Images of Olympic table tennis players from North Korea and South Korea taking a selfie together on the medal podium went viral in South Korea, hailed as a rare show of cross-border unity. After South Korea won bronze and North Korea silver in the mixed doubles behind China, South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon took a group photo after the medal ceremony. North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South’s Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all beamed into Lim’s phone, a South Korean-made Samsung. "A selfie with both Koreas’ national flags and a Samsung phone,” said the widely read daily JongAng Ilbo.

South Korea's Lim Jonghoon takes a selfie with his teammate and Chinese and North Korean mixed table tennis team medalists at the Paris Games on July 31, 2024.