Aside from the incredible athletic prowess on display, the Olympics have also become a time for many of us to get to know some of the athletes a little better. Through the intimacy and immediacy of social media platforms like TikTok, we've seen a few athletes from around the world break through the cloud of media surrounding the Paris Olympics, and onto the podium for most viral new social media stars. From lipstick-wearing rugby players to muffin-loving swimmers – these are the athletes we're newly obsessing over post-Paris 2024.
Arisa Trew: "The Youngest Aussie Gold Medalist"
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This week, Aussies applauded 14-year-old Arisa Trew who won gold at the Women's Skateboarding Park event. The barely high-school-aged teen is now the youngest-ever gold medallist for Australia – and proved her undeniably charming youth by claiming she was most excited to win gold because her parents had promised her a "pet duck" in exchange.
Armand Duplantis: "The Pole Vaulting Timothée Chalamet"
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The Swedish-American track and field athlete is the World Champion, Olympic Gold Medallist and World Record Holder. In fact – there was barely contest that he wouldn't win gold at Paris. The question was rather, would he beat his own world record... again... one that Duplantis himself has already set nine times during his career...
Bree Masters: "The Drought-Breaker"
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For the first time since the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Australia had a starter in the women’s 100m sprint semi final, in the form of 29-year-old Bree Masters. She's only spent five years focused on athletics, formerly a beach sprinter, but she's hoping to reach for gold by the time the Brisbane Olympics roll around in 2032.
Ilona Maher: "The Rugby Player in Lipstick"
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You simply haven't been keeping up with the Olympics online if you haven't come across the TikTok account of American rugby union player Ilona Maher. Her IG bio really says it all – OLYMPIC MEDALIST. Probably wearing lipstick" and with 3 million followers to boot. She's body-positive and unafraid to iconically call out the haters. She also snapped up bronze with team USA in Paris.
Stephen Nedoroscik: "The Specialist"
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A real life Peter Parker or Clark Kent type, Stephen is a US Olympic gymnast who is what the sport calls "a specialist". His aparatus of choice? The pommel horse. (Fun fact: Pommel horse featured in the ancient Olympics and was among the events at the first modern Olympics in 1896.) Don't be fooled by Stephen's bespectacled appearance, and ability to solve a Rubiks Cube in under 20 seconds – he won the bronze medal for the US men's olympic squad. He even had time to nap in the arena while his team mates competed.
Yusuf Dikec: "The Secret Hitman"
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Perhaps one of the funnier characters to be going viral online this Olympics is Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish pistol shooter who won silver at this year's competition. But what made Dikec so iconic was the casual nature with which he seemed to so perfectly hit his target. Unlike his competitors, who wore blinders over one eye, lenses over the other and a large pair of ear defenders, Dikec scored the competition's second highest score in a t-shirt, with one hand in his pocket, and no gear whatsoever. Now the internet needs to know – is he the Turkish John Wick?
Henrik Christiansen: "The Muffin Man"
@henrikchristians1 We have chocolate muffin before GTA 6 #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins #gta #gta6 ♬ GTA San Andreas Theme (Remake) - Ben Morfitt (SquidPhysics)
It seems there is no one in the Olympic village more committed to the bit then Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, whose love for the village canteen's chocolate muffins knows no bounds. What started as a harmless TikTok for the swimmer quickly became a competition-long love affair, each video garnering millions of views – and other Olympians joining in the fun by making their own videos in response.
Kim Yeji "The Main Character"
Kim Ye-ji looks like a stone cold assassin compared to the other shooters. pic.twitter.com/3b60NYToiy
— Bobshow (@Philosobobshow) July 28, 2024
Arguably the coolest Olympic athlete to touch down in Paris was South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji. Winning herself a silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event Sunday behind her South Korean teammate Oh Ye Jin, her slick, laid-back stance and backwards cap assured the internet of her "main character energy".
Julien Alfred: "The History Maker"
@togethxr Julien Alfred must be feeling like she’s on cloud nine right now! 🥹 (via kendallbaker/X) #paris2024 #trackandfield #womenssports #dominicanrepublic #saintlucia #cloudnine #olympics #julienalfred ♬ original sound - Togethxr
Saint Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred won the women's 100m sprint at this year's Paris Olympics, ahead of favourite Sha'Carri Richardson of the USA. Alfred's win goes down the island nation's history as its first-ever Olympic medal. Scenes from home in Saint Lucia, where the race was live streamed, show the country's excitement for their first Olympic win.
Nicola Olyslagers: "The Journalling High Jumper"
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Aussie high jumper Nicola Olyslagers claimed the silver this week (with fellow Aussie Eleanor Patterson in bronze position), but she had already won the hearts of athletics fans after she was seen writing in a notebook ahead of the high jump final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The athlete says that after each jump, she gives herself a score out of 10 in her notebook, which she has previously called her “little book of gold.”
