Ten viral moments from the Paris Olympics

Not all viral moments at an Olympics end in gold.

With thousands in Paris and millions watching across the world, nothing is missed.

Whether athletes or even spectators are trying or not, in today’s world you can go viral in any given moment.

From an unexpected swimmer at La Defense Arena to a casual Turkish shooter, this Games has had plenty of unique moments.

Here is a look at the best of them.

Spectators at La Defense Arena saw some of the fittest athletes on the planet racing.

Packed with up to 17,000 on the big nights, those swimmers had trained for years to deliver on the biggest stage.

However, when a swimming cap was stuck at the bottom of the pool, they needed someone else to save the day.

A middle-aged man was on hand, in some funky coloured trunks, to dive in and retrieve the hat, before raising his arm to receive a cheer from the crowd.

You know you’re cool when everyone copies you.

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who won a silver medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event, has been arguably the most popular character in Paris.

The 51-year-old opted not to wear the high-tech gear of his shooting competitors, and held a nonchalant pose, with his non-shooting hand casually tucked into his pocket.

That image spread quickly around social media, with Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and Turkey midfielder Irfan Can Kahveci both copying the pose while celebrating.

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen went viral for his review of the chocolate chip muffin from the Olympic Village.

Christiansen, who posted food reviews from the village on his social media, rated the muffin an 11/10, calling the taste “insane”.

His online review gained the attention of other athletes, who proceeded to post their own review of the muffin.

The ‘muffin man’ failed to reach the final of the 800m or 1500m freestyle events in the pool, and finished 25th in the 10km open water swim, but left with a new nickname.

History was made in the women’s floor final with the first all-black gymnastics podium ever in the Olympics.

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took gold ahead of United States pair Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, who showed their class by bowing down on the podium to Andrade.

Biles said it was “just the right thing to do” after she missed out on a fourth gold in Paris.

The world’s most decorated gymnast had a big smile on her face when bowing down to Andrade.

Unfortunately for Chiles, she was later stripped of the bronze medal after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). Romania’s Ana Barbosu was upgraded from fourth to third.

Team USA’s Stephen Nedoroscik was waiting for his pommel horse routine, glasses on and in the zone.

The Rubik’s Cube-solving ‘pommel horse guy’ stared deep into the pommel horse, as he quietly waited his turn.

Once the glasses came off, the 25-year-old turned into a pommel machine, and delivered a nerveless performances in both the team and individual events.

Following his two bronze medals, his girlfriend changed her profile on X to ‘Ms Pommel Horse’.

His appearance has drawn comparisons to Clark Kent aka Superman, with Nedoroscik even using the United States flag as a cape in his celebrations.

French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati was denied an opportunity, in unique circumstances, to reach a home Olympic final.

While qualifying rounds would not tend to make the headlines, a video emerged of Ammirati knocking off the bar via his crotch.

That jump was not the reason he didn’t qualify for the pole vault final, which many online felt was a more amusing story to tell.

The 21-year-old saw the funny side and posted on social media: “You create more buzz for your package than your performances.”

Australia’s Rachael Gunn failed to capture the imagination of the new global breakdancing audience.

The 36-year-old university lecturer lost her three round-robin contest by an aggregate score of 54-0 on Friday.

Her routine was mocked by social media users as she bounced around on stage like a kangaroo, rolled around on the floor, and stood on her head at times.

She added that she “wanted to move differently”.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

French photographer Jerome Brouillet nailed this photo of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina, who won a bronze in the surfing.

He may have jumped off the wave, but was it worth it for his social media account?

The ‘why do athletes bite their medals’ question might be one that China’s Zhou Yaqin is asking.

A video of the gymnast, who secured silver in the women’s beam, saw her looking a tad confused when Italy’s Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito took a bite of their medals.

Zhou followed suit, but only put the medal to her lips rather than sinking her teeth into her new silverware.

Traditionally this was to check whether or not the gold was real, now it is photographers who ask the athletes to make sure the medal is real.

American rapper and record producer Snoop Dogg was spotted at nearly every event in Paris.

He was providing commentary for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and made sure to make himself known.

From wearing extra head protection at the dressage to his viral reaction to Biles’ vault, his face was a mainstay in Paris.

Could Snoop be Team USA’s flag bearer at Los Angeles in 2028?