2024 Olympics Best-Of, human-interest edition
August 2, 2024 8:07 AM Subscribe
Prompted by an earlier question asked by @exceptinsects: What are the best human-interest stories related to the Paris Olympics?
Who are the athletes (or teams) with the most intriguing backstories? The competitors don't have to be famous or be serious medal contenders -- it's almost better if they're obscure.
You don't have to summarize the person's whole story. Just give me enough clues that I can Google it.
Thanks!
Who are the athletes (or teams) with the most intriguing backstories? The competitors don't have to be famous or be serious medal contenders -- it's almost better if they're obscure.
You don't have to summarize the person's whole story. Just give me enough clues that I can Google it.
Thanks!
NYT: Stalkers, Disease and Doubt: A Gymnast’s Hard Road Back to the Games: Sunisa Lee, the all-around women’s champion at the Tokyo Olympics, overcame personal strife, family expectations and serious illness to get to Paris.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:24 AM on August 2 [6 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:24 AM on August 2 [6 favorites]
Quinn is the first out transgender nonbinary athlete to compete in the Olympics (and the first to win a medal).
posted by box at 9:33 AM on August 2 [3 favorites]
posted by box at 9:33 AM on August 2 [3 favorites]
Zeng Zhiying gave up professional table tennis in China almost 40 years ago, then went to the Olympics this year to play for Chile at age 58.
posted by music for skeletons at 10:29 AM on August 2 [6 favorites]
posted by music for skeletons at 10:29 AM on August 2 [6 favorites]
Solomon Islands' National Olympic Committee nominated a marathon runner to compete in the women's 100-metre sprints at the Paris Games. It seems like it was a bad idea and went as might be expected but its an interesting example of the IOC's efforts to diversify entrants.
posted by biffa at 2:25 PM on August 2
posted by biffa at 2:25 PM on August 2
Response by poster: UVA’s Kate Douglass Is the World’s ‘Fastest Mathematician in the Pool’
posted by alex1965 at 7:56 PM on August 2
posted by alex1965 at 7:56 PM on August 2
Quinn is the first out transgender nonbinary athlete to compete in the Olympics (and the first to win a medal).
Only a matter of scheduling -- Nikki Hiltz competes next week.
posted by hoyland at 9:49 PM on August 2 [2 favorites]
Only a matter of scheduling -- Nikki Hiltz competes next week.
posted by hoyland at 9:49 PM on August 2 [2 favorites]
There've been a bunch of stories about wartime hardships making training extremely difficult for the Ukrainian diving team, and the determination they've shown in response.
posted by mediareport at 3:46 AM on August 3
posted by mediareport at 3:46 AM on August 3
(I imagine there are similar stories for other Ukrainian athletes.)
posted by mediareport at 3:47 AM on August 3
posted by mediareport at 3:47 AM on August 3
This is 2024, so anti-trans bigots will come after any woman they decide is not white and femme enough even when she's not trans.
Who is Imane Khelif? Algerian boxer facing gender outcry had modest success before Olympics (AP)
posted by flabdablet at 3:51 AM on August 3
Who is Imane Khelif? Algerian boxer facing gender outcry had modest success before Olympics (AP)
posted by flabdablet at 3:51 AM on August 3
Scroll down in this piece from The Guardian to read about French racewalker Aurélien Quinion who supported his wife as she gave birth the night before his event. Quinion stayed up all night with his new family, then took a taxi straight to the race to compete in the 20km racewalk securing a personal best time.
posted by Erinaceus europaeus at 10:10 AM on August 3 [4 favorites]
posted by Erinaceus europaeus at 10:10 AM on August 3 [4 favorites]
Olympian Kendall Ellis nabbed a sponsorship with Charmin toilet paper after she was stuck in a porta potty for 10 minutes.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:35 AM on August 3 [3 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:35 AM on August 3 [3 favorites]
Little known Olympian Adriana Ruano was once in contention to be on Guatemala’s Olympic Gymnastics team, but had an unfortunate spinal injury that ended her career. So, like any of us would do, she took up trap shooting and won Guatemala’s very first medal in Olympic history – a gold medal – in that sport.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:39 PM on August 3 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:39 PM on August 3 [1 favorite]
Not a long story, but Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa's work as a brand ambassador brought me joy.
posted by box at 1:45 PM on August 3 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 1:45 PM on August 3 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all, these are wonderful. I'm not generally a sports fan, but I enjoy the Olympics so much.
posted by alex1965 at 9:24 AM on August 4
posted by alex1965 at 9:24 AM on August 4
Cindy Ngamba wins first-ever medal for Refugee Olympic Team (CNN)
posted by box at 7:53 AM on August 5 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 7:53 AM on August 5 [1 favorite]
Wow, box, that's great; hadn't heard about her:
Ngamba was born in Cameroon and moved to the UK aged 11, where she now trains, but represents the Refugee Olympic Team, which has allowed refugee athletes to compete at the Games since 2016.
She took up boxing in the UK aged 15 where she rose through the age-group ranks to become a world-class prospect and came out as gay at 18 – if she returns to Cameroon, she could be sent to prison since homosexuality is banned in the country...
Since Ngamba’s UK citizenship status is not yet confirmed, she cannot represent Team GB, but as a refugee, she is able to represent the Refugee Olympic Team for whom she was one of the flagbearers at the opening ceremony. But Ngamba has had to fight for this protected status, signing papers every week to stay in the UK and enduring an arrest that took her to a detention camp in London from which she was later released.
posted by mediareport at 10:33 AM on August 5
Ngamba was born in Cameroon and moved to the UK aged 11, where she now trains, but represents the Refugee Olympic Team, which has allowed refugee athletes to compete at the Games since 2016.
She took up boxing in the UK aged 15 where she rose through the age-group ranks to become a world-class prospect and came out as gay at 18 – if she returns to Cameroon, she could be sent to prison since homosexuality is banned in the country...
Since Ngamba’s UK citizenship status is not yet confirmed, she cannot represent Team GB, but as a refugee, she is able to represent the Refugee Olympic Team for whom she was one of the flagbearers at the opening ceremony. But Ngamba has had to fight for this protected status, signing papers every week to stay in the UK and enduring an arrest that took her to a detention camp in London from which she was later released.
posted by mediareport at 10:33 AM on August 5
A comic about a really cute moment on the gymnastic women's balance beam podium
https://www.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/comments/1elwww6/an_artist_made_an_artwork_of_zhou_yaqins_funny/
posted by Art_Pot at 4:27 PM on August 8
https://www.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/comments/1elwww6/an_artist_made_an_artwork_of_zhou_yaqins_funny/
posted by Art_Pot at 4:27 PM on August 8
US shot putter Raven Sanders (they/them) wears a mask but is happy to be seen (WaPo)
posted by box at 5:47 AM on August 9
posted by box at 5:47 AM on August 9
Cisgender Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, falsely accused of 'being a man,' wins gold (Erin in the Morning)
The match started slowly and seemed evenly balanced, with Khelif narrowly taking the first round. In the second round, however, Khelif dominated, landing decisive blows as the announcers observed that the crowd was “clearly behind her.” By the end of the third round, it was evident that she had won, maintaining her dominance throughout the competition. When the final announcement declared her the winner, the crowd erupted in celebration.posted by box at 2:20 PM on August 9 [2 favorites]
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posted by AgentRocket at 9:22 AM on August 2 [1 favorite]