We've reached the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics, but there are viral moments from around the internet that will always live rent-free in our minds.
To no one's surprise Bob the Cap Catcher, pommel horse guy, a shooter from Turkiye and Snoop Dogg have taken over our feeds for the last two weeks.
If you've been unplugged and need a refresher, or just can't get enough of the wackiness that only an Olympics can bring, read on for a guide to the funniest, craziest and all-around best viral moments from the Games.
LeBron James is a deadringer for George Washington
The Paris Olympics wasted no time giving us prime meme material, starting with the unique floating Parade of Nations during the Opening Ceremony. LeBron James served as one of Team USA's flag bearers, and as the rain started to pour down, James stood tall at the front of the boat. With the flag held high, he began to bear an uncanny resemblance to another figure in American history.
#FollowTheDogg
If you've tuned into the Olympics on NBC and Peacock you've definitely seen Snoop Dogg rocking a stylish red, white and blue ensemble. The legendary rapper has been all over Paris completing side quests, from carrying the Olympic torch and swimming with Michael Phelps to getting emotional during the national anthem and befriending horses in dressage. He's even made time to try his hand at sportscasting alongside Mike Tirico.
Flavor Flav hypes up Team USA
All the 90s kids, stand up (and tune into water polo)! That's because Flavor Flav has become the No. 1 fan of the U.S. women's water polo team. The rapper an d entertainer has spent his summer supporting the U.S. women at all of their matches and even becoming one of the team's financial sponsors. And the U.S. women's water polo match against France surely had the most flavor in the history of the sport, as Flav was joined by the "mayor of Flavortown" himself, Guy Fieri.
Bob the Cap Catcher captures hearts
When a swimmer's cap falls off during a race and is stuck at the bottom of the Olympic pool, there's only one man that can save the day: Bob the Cap Catcher. When this dire situation struck in Paris, Bob sprang to the rescue. Allegedly an Olympic official, Bob appeared in his multicolor Speedo briefs and courageously dove to the bottom of the pool. He then rose to the surface, climbed out of the water, and triumphantly raised the swim cap into the air as he was showered with well-deserved cheers from the crowd. He's not the hero the world asked for, but he's surely the hero we needed.
Is that Clark Kent or Stephen Nedoroscik?
Stephen Nedoroscik was named to the U.S. men's gymnastics team for one reason: his extraordinary prowess on pommel horse. During the men's team final, Nedoroscik's signature event was scheduled for the sixth and final rotation. So he sat quietly on the sidelines, barely reacting to his teammate's performance, and waited. For hours.
When his big moment finally arrived, the U.S. team needed a near-flawless pommel performance from Nedoroscik to keep medal hopes alive. So he stood up, removed his glasses, and delivered the routine of his life to clinch the bronze medal for Team USA. He then became known as "pommel horse guy," and possibly a superhero in disguise.
Gabriel Medina breaks the internet with mind-blowing mid-air moment
With a thrilling competition and an iconic venue in Tahiti, surfing has gained many new fans since the Paris Olympics began. And credit also goes to Jermone Brouillet's photograph of superstar surfer Gabriel Medina.
During Round 3 of the men's competition in legendary Teahupo'o, Medina soared through an astonishing wave for the highest single-wave score in Olympic history, before popping high into the air off the lip and sticking up one finger in a No. 1 pose. Brouillet snapped a pic at the perfect moment, capturing Medina in midair as the Brazilian appears to be casually levitating. Unsurprisingly, the picture exploded on social media.
![Gabriel Medina puts up No. 1 as he flies through the air](https://images.nbcolympics.com/sites/default/files/2024-07/1920x1080Medina9.9.jpg?impolicy=rect_large_1920_1080)
Ilona Maher. That's it, just Ilona Maher
One of the earliest stars to emerge from these Games was Ilona Maher, who helped lead the U.S. women's rugby team to the bronze medal in electric fashion. Maher has had viral moments on and off the field. From dishing out a ferocious stiff arm to hanging out with Philadelphia Eagles' legend (and the newest fan of U.S. women's rugby) Jason Kelce, it'd be hard to find an Olympian who's had more fun in Paris that Maher. Oh, and Kelce even twinned with Maher's family, sporting a custom Hawaiian shirt covered with Maher's face on it.
Wemby vs. Togashi
You've probably heard of Victor Wembanyama, the towering 7'4" No. 1 overall pick and reigning rookie of the year who is playing in Paris for the host nation. You probably have not heard of Yuki Togashi, a 5'4" player on the Japanese basketball team. When France and Japan met for a group play game, fans got to see the matchup nobody knew they wanted.
Turkiye's coolest shooter
Arguments over who does and doesn't have "aura" have swept across the internet this summer. Aura is a mystique that only certain people possess. It's hard to fully define and more of a "you know it when you see it" type of trait.
Well, when you see Turkish shooter, Yusuf Dikec, everyone can agree that whatever aura is, he's got it. The marksmen won the silver medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event and did it in style (or lack thereof). While most of his competitors looked like Inspector Gadget, sporting futuristic glasses and other high-tech gear, Dikec looked like just a regular guy. The five-time Olympian simply pointed, aimed, and shot, while his other hand was casually tucked in his pocket. How does he do it?
I am a natural shooter.
Do equestrian horses get their own Olympic medals?
This next moment is for all the animal lovers. After Japan's equestrian team took home the bronze medal in team eventing, the country's first equestrian medal in nearly a century, rider Yoshiaki Oiwa posed with his horse and his new hardware for the cutest moment of the Games.
And the answer is no, horses do not get their own Olympic medals. But the good news is that they probably don't really care.
Katie Ledecky creates core memory for young fan
Per usual, Katie Ledecky left the other swimmers in her wake in the women's 1500m freestyle, winning the event with a new Olympic record. There were the typical photos of Ledecky out to such a massive lead that the other competitors weren't even in the camera's frame, but the real viral moment came after the race. As Ledecky exited the pool, one young fan screamed for Ledecky's attention and was rewarded with a wave.
Gianmarco Tamberi’s wedding ring
Before competition even got underway, Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi gave the world something to talk about.
On a rainy night along the Seine during the Opening Ceremony, Tamberi lost his wedding ring.
In an emotional post on Instagram, Tamberi addressed his wife.
Translated to English, the caption means:
“Too much water, too many kilos lost in the past few months, or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing. Probably all three things, the fact remains that I felt (the ring) slip away, I saw it fly … I followed (it) with a glance until I saw (it) bouncing inside the boat.”
Tamberi, who was one of Italy’s flag bearers in the Parade of Nations, wrote that watching the ring bounce away “lasted an eternity.”
But instead of groveling and begging for forgiveness – at least not on Instagram – Tamberi leaned into the beauty of where the ring now lies, writing that he “couldn’t imagine a better place.”
“It will stay forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I tried to carry the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sport evening in the world. If I had to invent an apology, I would never have been this imaginative.
I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and if you want, we’ll throw yours into that river, too, so they’ll be together forever, and we’ll have one more excuse to, like you’ve always asked, renew our vows and get married anew.”
He concluded the post: “May it be a good omen to return home with an even bigger gold!”