Wales’ sparkling Olympic moments from Paris 2024

More athletes than ever before; more medals than ever before.

And, in 21-year-old Olympic track cycling champion Emma Finucane, a new global star.

The Paris 2024 Olympics have been a memorable Games for the Welsh athletes within Team GB.

Having been following their fortunes in Paris over the past 17 days, here are just some of the moments that stand out…

What is there left to say about Emma Finucane?

I wrote in the build-up that it was rare for there to be so much anticipation for a 21-year-old’s Olympic debut. But the excitement was justified.

Yes, that expectation brought pressure too. Former cycling greats were tipping her to win an unprecedented three golds in a single Games.

The reality was always going to be much tougher. But she came mighty close.

Gold and a world record in the team sprint, 0.092 seconds off gold in the keirin, 0.050 seconds off a chance of gold in the sprint.

These are enormously fine margins. Make no mistake – a gold and two bronze medals in your first Olympics is a scarcely believable return.

And given she is still only 21, you can only imagine how much she can improve in the years to come.

But two things strike me the most having covered her rise in the sport for the last four years.

Firstly, she has an incredibly supportive family behind her.

Mum, dad, brothers and sisters – they turned up to the Paris National Velodrome in matching t-shirts with Emma’s face on them. They were in the stands for every session of every race. No one cheered louder.

They celebrated every result with the same pride and joy, regardless of the outcome. It was no surprise to hear Finucane thank them in every post-race interview.

The second thing you take away from speaking to Emma is how determined she is to enjoy the ride. Yes, as an elite athlete she is judged on results and medals. But from when she got the Team GB kit, to when she first set foot in the Olympic velodrome, to standing on the podium, she always savours the moment and does it with a smile.

After his relay gold in Tokyo as an 18-year-old, this was the Games where Matt Richards came of age – but also felt he had so much more to give.

Another gold – once again in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay – followed a brilliant silver in the individual 200m freestyle.

Out in lane one, Richards had one of the swims of his life to come within 0.02 seconds of winning gold. It was both a silver medal to be proud of but also a gold he feels got away.

This is a young man who loves to learn. After failing to reach the men’s 100m freestyle final, and managing 4th and 5th in his other relay events, he is already working out every detail he can improve on for Los Angeles 2028 – when at 25 he should be at his peak.

Like Finucane, he was supported all the way by his family. His mum, dad and soon-to-be-wife Emily were still proud.

Because do not let his own high standards take away from the fact that sitting on two Olympic golds and a silver by the age of 21 is anything other than seriously impressive.

Like Finucane, Richards now holds those three Olympic medals and, if they stay fit and healthy, it’s hard to see how they do not add plenty more in the Games to come.

Elinor Barker summed up her Olympic journey perfectly herself.

Winning gold at 21 in Rio in 2016, she felt like a baby. Winning silver in Tokyo, she was unknowingly growing a baby. After winning silver and bronze in Paris, she then celebrated with her baby.

It was an admirable achievement to make it to these Games, let alone to arrive in such good form. There were times with a young son that she had wondered if she would make it through the night, let alone to Paris.

Family support has been a recurring theme at these Games – with Barker praising her partner, Casper, parents and sister, Meg, for their support as they looked after her son Nico in the stands.

Barker now has four Olympic medals to her name – the most a woman from Wales has won.

With seven world titles as well, for me, she is one of the most underrated athletes of her generation.

It was also amazing to see Llanishen High School in Cardiff boast half the British women’s team pursuit quartet, with former pupils Barker and Anna Morris helping GB to bronze. Jess Roberts made it three out of four from Wales – an impressive return by Welsh Cycling.

Ten years ago there was a group of rowers who got their first taste of major competition experience rowing for Wales.

Graeme Thomas, Tom Barras, Matt Aldridge and Harry Brightmore all started their journey in the red of Wales before reaching Olympic finals in the red, white and blue of Team GB in Paris.

For Thomas and Barras, it was an agonising fourth in the men’s quad. For Aldridge, a bronze he was immensely proud of in the men’s four.

And for Harry Brightmore, it was a switch to coxing that brought him the sport’s greatest prize. He helped the men’s eight to gold, before standing tall on the boat and screaming in celebration.

Ollie Wynne-Griffith almost joined him in grabbing gold – but he and Tom George were pipped to the line in the men’s pair.

Becky Wilde had swum for Wales as a junior – and narrowly missed out on going to the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Then she switched to rowing and, at the last possible opportunity, qualified for her first Olympics in the women’s double sculls alongside Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne.

They rowed the race of their lives in the final, winning a brilliant bronze.

A result matched by Eve Stewart in the women’s eight. She was born in Amsterdam after her parents moved there for work. But she would watch the Olympics with her Welsh grandmother, Pat, and always dreamed of representing Team GB.

But it does not always go to plan at an Olympics. Ask Josh Tarling, Jade Jones and Rosie Eccles.

Day one of the Games feels a long time ago now but it is hard not to still feel sorry for 20-year-old Tarling.

He once again proved himself to be amongst the world’s best in the men’s time trial but a puncture cost him valuable seconds – and ultimately a place on the podium.

Tarling had said himself in the build-up that you do not get many chances at an Olympics, it only coming around every four years.

But it seems certain he will go on to a glittering career in the sport – and should be one to watch again aged 24 in Los Angeles.

No one personifies the agony and ecstasy of Olympic sport like Jade Jones. Two golds in her first two Games, two first round exits in her next two.

She gave it her all to try to win that historic third gold, having fallen short in Tokyo. She moved her whole life to Croatia to change up her training programme.

But, in the build-up, she was provisionally suspended after failing to provide a urine sample. UKAD eventually cleared her to compete after ruling she bore no fault. Jones did later test negative that same day.

It cannot have helped her preparation and you could see the emotion of it all in her interviews after her defeat.

In her opening bout in the boxing, Rosie Eccles was on the front foot against Poland’s Aneta Rygielska.

But after edging the first on the judges scorecards, the Welshwoman was deemed to be second best to Rygielska in the next two and went out on a split decision.

Sometimes Olympic dreams can end that quickly.

Jeremiah Azu’s comeback from disastrous disqualification to relay redemption was one of the stories of the Games for Wales.

The nation’s fastest man lined up in the blocks for the men’s 100m heats, about to realise a childhood dream of racing at the Olympics.

But after a false start, it was all over before it began.

He argued his case but there were no second chances. At least, not in the individual event.

The 23-year-old was devastated. So were his family. His brother was in tears, but told me he was still so proud of Jeremiah for putting the family name on the world stage.

Azu took some time away from the athletes’ village to be with his family and he says that helped him reset for the relay.

Once again he lined up on the blocks. A clean start in both the heat and final set Great Britain up for bronze. And Azu had Wales’ first track and field medal in almost three decades.

Having been alone in Tokyo, on empty roads and in empty stadia, during the Covid pandemic – this felt like what a Games should really be like.

From that unique opening ceremony, which I was fortunate enough to experience on the Team GB boat, the city and venues have been bathed in sunshine and full of fans.

Unlike many other Games – including London 2012 – which create an Olympic Park, in Paris so many of its great landmarks have become part of the Games.

The Eiffel Tower as a backdrop to the opening ceremony, beach volleyball and champions’ parade.

The River Seine (just about) getting to be used for the open water swimming, featuring Wales’ Hector Pardoe, and triathlon.

The taekwondo takeover of the Grand Palais. The purple track at the Stade de France.

The Welsh teenagers here brought so much energy and gave Wales representation in sports we don’t often see at the Games – Anna Hursey in the table tennis, Ella Maclean-Howell in the mountain bike and Ruby Evans in artistic gymnastics.

Having friends and family have been the difference – both to many of the athletes and also to the overall feel of the Games.

It has once again been a privilege to be a small part of it.