The Olympic Games are a balm for the soul, especially in times like these, when the world feels more divided than ever. Seeing people at the height of their respective sports chase their dreams with civility sends a powerful message. For sure, fans won’t soon forget the impressive showing of respect when Team USA’s Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil on the medal-ceremony podium for women’s artistic gymnastics individual floor finals. 

Overall, the past 16 days have been a great display of physical feats and special sportsmanship. While it is impossible to summarize the massive event, here’s a reminder of some of the highlights. Let’s hope to carry this Olympic spirit forward until the world meets again, in Los Angeles in 2028.

Team USA

At the time of this writing, Team USA has won 104 medals in Paris. This includes 30 gold, 38 silver, and 36 bronze medals. On July 31, the United States hit a milestone by becoming the only country to win 3,000 Olympic medals across both the Summer and Winter Games. (For context, other countries don’t even have half that amount.)

Gymnastics

It was a standout year for both men’s and women’s gymnastics. For the women’s events, Team USA took gold in the team competition, following through on what they called their “redemption tour” after Simone Biles pulled out of the mix in Tokyo in 2020. Biles then went on to win gold in the individual all-around and vault competitions, and silver in the floor exercise competition, solidifying her G.O.A.T. status.

Suni Lee made an impressive comeback from kidney disease, taking home bronze medals in both the individual all-around and the uneven bars to become the seventh-most-decorated American female gymnast. Jade Carey took a bronze in the vault. Jordan Chiles almost didn’t make the podium in the floor exercise, but her coaches’ appeal helped secure her a bronze medal.

On the men’s side, Paul Juda, Frederick Richard, Asher Hong, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Brody Malone took home the team bronze. This ended a 16-year drought for American teams and helped reinvigorated the sport. Nedoroscik, aka pommel horse guy, went on to win a bronze in his specialty event. He also won the hearts of the internet.

Swimming

Katie Ledecky cemented her legacy in the pool at these Games. She became the most-decorated American female Olympian of all time, with 14 medals to her name. In Paris, she won gold in the 800m (fourth consecutive Olympics!) and 1500m freestyles, silver in the 4x200m relay, and bronze in the 400m freestyle. She even did extra and set a new Olympic record in the 1500m freestyle. Ledecky will carry the flag for Team USA during the Closing Ceremony.

After a disappointing Olympic debut in Tokyo, Leon Marchand was back with a vengeance in Paris. The 22-year-old trains in the U.S. with Bob Bowman, who guided Michael Phelps to 23 Olympic medals. Marchand earned four gold medals and even set a record in the 200m individual medley.

Track and field

American sprinter Noah Lyles talked a big game before the competition. He was able to live up to most of it, but then COVID got in the way. Lyles won gold in the men’s 100m, and desperately wanted to repeat that showing in the 200m, but ended up coming in third for the bronze medal. He withdrew from the men’s 4x100m relay after suffering severe symptoms from the virus.

Sha’Carri Richardson took home two medals in Paris. She won silver in the 100m and gold in the women’s 4x100m relay. This was her Olympic debut after being disqualified from competing in Tokyo due to a positive THC test.

Gabby Thomas took home gold in the women’s 200m with an impressive 21.83-second race time. Her secret is prerace burpees (conditioning exercise) to get her heart rate up.

Refugee Olympic Team

Nearly a decade ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) created the Refugee Olympic Team in 2015 to draw attention to the plight of refugees worldwide and offer a symbol of hope. With 37 athletes participating in Paris this year, the team has nearly tripled in size since the 10-member team debuted in the 2016 Rio Games. And now, courtesy of boxer Cindy Ngamba, this resilient refugee team has earned its first medal. Ngamba won the bronze—and a place in history.

Fencing

Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Jackie Dubrovich, and Maia Weintraub have also earned a place in the Olympic history books. This American fencing team lived up to its “Wrek-It Ralfs” nickname, taking home Team USA’s first-ever gold in this event. The United States has been competing since 1904, so this is an amazing feat—but that’s not all. Kiefer and Scruggs also won gold and silver, respectively, in the first all-American Olympic final in the women’s foil individual event.

Basketball

After beating Australia on Friday in the semifinals, the USA Olympic women’s basketball team has now won 60 consecutive games. The athletes are ready to fight for gold on Sunday. If they win, it will be their eighth straight gold medal. The American women’s Olympic basketball team has been on a roll since 1992.

Snoop Dogg

Perhaps the most surprising, but uplifting, aspect of these games is Snoop Dogg’s presence on the broadcasts. Officially, he was a special correspondent for NBC, but his genuine enthusiasm for the Games made him so much more. He got things going as an Olympic torchbearer and did not drop it like it’s hot. He cheered on Team USA with their family members, swam with Michael Phelps, and even got over his fear of horses with his buddy Martha Stewart. Let’s hope he brings it to Los Angeles.