My favorite Olympic moments

The games of the 33rd Olympiad in Paris have ended and I’m already missing the non-stop action.

Being an avid fan of the Summer Olympics since I was seven, I look forward to this great spectacle. Now, it is time to look back at my favorite moments. .

Of course, I have to start with St. Louis athletes. It was special to see Napheesa Collier and Jayson Tatum pick up their respective second gold medals in basketball.

Collier helped the USA women to an eighth consecutive gold medal and extend an incredible 61-game winning streak in the Olympic games. She contributed seven points and 11 rebounds in the gold-medal game against France.

Tatum’s best outing of the Olympics was his 10-point, 10-rebound performance against Puerto Rico in pool play. These two young stars have represented our city in the best way.

My top thrill came in the men’s 4×400 meter relay when the anchor leg came down to a duel between gold medalists American Rai Benjamin and LetsileTebogo of Botswana. Benjamin won the 400-meter hurdles while Tebogo won the 200-meter dash. It was an incredible fight to the finish as Tebogo chased Benjamin all around the track, but Benjamin was able to hold him off to win the gold and set a new American record in the process.

Another Show-Me State product who stood tall was Kansas City native Quincy Hall in the men’s 400-meter dash. The former Raytown South standout staged one of the most epic comebacks in the history of the event as he passed four runners down the final straight-away to snatch the gold medal. It was an incredible show of heart and determination in that final 100 meters.

American Sydney McLaughlin Levrone showed once again why she is the queen on track and field with another world-record setting performance in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. In what was supposed to be a showdown against Dutch star Femke Bol, McLaughlin turned the race into a rout as she repeated as a gold medalist and set a new world mark of 50.37 seconds. She also ran in the 4×400-meter relay and dropped a 47.71 on the second leg to put the race away for the USA.

American gymnastic icon Simone Biles put on another legendary performance in leading the USA to the gold medal in the team competition. She also won the gold in the individual all-around competition. Her floor routine is indeed a sight to behold. Incredible.

The men’s 100-meter dash final was one for the ages as American Noah Lyles staged his final surge to win the gold medal in a personal best time of 9.79 seconds. It was also one of the fastest 100-meter finals in Olympic history as it became the first time that all eight finalists ran under 10 seconds in a race that was not wind-aided.

Steph Curry’s final flurry in the last three minutes of the men’s basketball gold medal game will not only go down in Olympic folklore, but basketball folklore as well. With the USA clinging on to a three point lead against France with three minutes left, Steph made four consecutive 3-pointers in spectacular fashion to hold off the French and give the USA the gold medal.

American sprinter Gabby Thomas emerged as a superstar after winning three gold medals in track and field. She won the gold medal in the 200-meter dash and added gold medals in the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays.

The performance of the American men’s distance runners is one of the biggest stories in track and field. The distance runners showed up and showed out in Paris. Cole Hocker won the gold medal in the 1,500-meter run while Yared Nuguse took the bronze. Grant Fisher won the bronze in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meters while Kenneth Rooks won silver in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The end of the women’s rugby bronze medal match between the USA and Australia was breathtaking. Australia took the lead in the final seconds, but American Spiff Sedrick scored on the final play of the game in spectacular walk-off fashion to give the USA a 14-12 a win and its first medal in 100 years. That play had me jumping up and down in my seat.

Watching the love affair between the French people and their star swimmer Leon Marchand, who won four gold medals. The best moment came in the 400-meter IM during the breaststroke leg when the partisan crowd chanted with each Marchand stroke. It was electrifying to watch on television.