While attention is largely focused on star athletes and record-breaking feats, there have been some other heartwarming and fun moments coming out of the Olympics.
Whale photobomb
In the Olympic surfing semi-finals, a whale photo-bombed the surfers by breaching in the background. In the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, where the 2024 Olympics surfing competition was held almost 10,000 miles way from the host city of Paris, whales gather around the islands during mating, birthing and migration season.
Snoop Dogg dancing with a horse
Rapper Snoop Dogg is apparently afraid of horses, so he invited his pal Martha Stewart to accompany him to the team equestrian dressage event. They showed up in matching riding helmets, jackets, white pants and coordinated sunglasses. Then, to the delight of onlookers, he danced with a horse.
Proposals
So far, there have been seven athlete proposals at the Olympics, fitting for the “City of Love.” Here they are, thanks to Cosmopolitan and X:
- Huang Yaqiong, a Chinese badminton player, won gold in the mixed doubles competition. Following the medal ceremony, fellow Chinese badminton player Liu Yuchen popped the question.
- Sarah Steyaert got engaged to her longtime partner, with whom she shares two children, after winning bronze for France in the women’s skiff 49er race.
- Charline Picon, Steyaert’s sailing partner, also got engaged after their win to her partner Jean-Emmanuel Mestre, with whom she shares a daughter.
- Payton Otterdahl, American shot putter, proposed to girlfriend Maddy Nilles in front of the Eiffel Tower.
- Justin Best, gold medal winning rower, proposed to his girlfriend Lainey live on the Today show, with more than 2,700 yellow roses representing the days of their Snapchat streak.
- French athlete Alice Finot, who came in fourth in the steeplechase, proposed to her boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martínez Bargiela. “I told myself that if I ran under nine minutes, knowing that nine is my lucky number and that we’ve been together for nine years, then I would propose,” she told reporters.
- Pablo Simonet, an Argentinian field hockey player, proposed to Maria Campoy, a handball player, just before the Games began.
Pregnancy
At least two athletes competed while pregnant. Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez was seven months pregnant, competing in women’s saber. She posted on Instagram that she was “carrying a little Olympian one” hours after she had reached the round of 16. A former gymnast with a degree in medicine, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games, reports NBC.
Yaylagul Ramazanova from Azerbaijan is six and a half months pregnant. She called her unborn baby her good luck charm and said “I felt my baby kick me before I shot this last arrow, and then I shot a 10.”
Jobs you didn’t know existed
The NBC Olympics and Paralympics account posted a short video of four weird jobs you probably never thought of. They are:
- Cap Catcher: the guy who dives to the bottom of the pool to retrieve swimmers’ caps that have fallen off.
- Block Builders: the people who restack and/or polish the blocks for equestrian events when the horses kick them down.
- Camera Cleaner: the person who cleans the camera high above the diving board “with the longest mop/duster you ever did see.
- Balloon Brandisher: the one who “casually walks around” while brandishing a massive balloon attached to a long pole to prep camera angles for floor routines
A pet duck
Fourteen-year-old Arisa Trew only wanted one thing if she won at the Olympics: a pet duck. Australia’s youngest ever Olympic medalist won gold in skateboarding. Mom and Dad, we all want to know what’s quackin’ and when Arisa gets her duck.
Something’s in the water in Long Beach
Wilson High, one of the oldest high schools in Southern California, has had an athlete in the Olympic Summer Games every year since 1952 (except 1980, the year the U.S. boycotted the Olympics). It began with two-time gold medal winner, diver Pat McCormick, in 1952, and this year water polo player Max Irving competes in his second Olympics, and 22-year-old Rachel Glenn is competing in her first Games in the high jump. The high school has produced a total of nine gold medal winners, 12 silver and seven bronze-winning athletes.
With three more days of Games, there are sure to be more fun, heartwarming stories.