If there's one word to describe the men's and women's handball tournaments at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it would be electric. 

The atmosphere in each match could be heard through the TV screens, lots of physical games were on display, and each tournament had an underdog to root for. 

In the end, Mikkel Hansen got his fairytale ending with Denmark as it won gold in the men's tournament, while Norway prevented France from winning the final on its home court in the women's tournament. 

FULL REPLAYS: HANDBALL
RESULTS: HANDBALL

Denmark did not lose a single match in the men's tournament, resulting in a gold medal win in the final against Germany. The Danish eased past Germany with a 39-26 scoreline as Mikkel Hansen got his fairytale ending. The 36-year-old handball legend said he would retire from the sport after the Paris Olympics, and what a way it was to go out in his professional career.

Germany topped Group A and performed a miraculous comeback against France in the quarterfinals after scoring two goals in the last 15 seconds to go to extra time. The Germans made their way to the gold medal match, but Denmark proved to be too much for them.

In the bronze medal match, Spain retained its status as bronze medalists after defeating Slovenia 23-22. Slovenia was the surprise team of the tournament. It did not qualify for the Tokyo Games and was placed in a tough group in Paris. Still, Slovenia managed to place second in the group and narrowly missed out on a medal.

Tokyo champions and host nation France were unable to give Nikola Karabatic, who's widely regarded as the best player ever in the sport, a dream ending to his career. He's another great player who will retire after the Paris Games.

Hansen and Karabatic were honored by fans of both teams each time they stepped on the court, as everyone knew it would be the last time they were going to see them play in a professional handball match.

Norway improved from its silver medal finish at Tokyo by winning gold at the Paris Games. It topped its group in the preliminary rounds and cruised to the gold medal match without playing any closely contested games in the knockout stages. The Norwegians, led by one of the greatest players of the sport in Stine Skogrand, impressed in the final as they won 29-21 against France to claim gold.

France, who went undefeated in the group stages, was looking to retain its title in the tournament but didn't have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe against Denmark in the final. It was still an exciting tournament for the French women's team as every match was played with a packed crowd. The passionate fans let their energy transition into momentum for France and the best example of showing that occurred in France's 31-28 win vs. Sweden in the semifinals. In that match, France was able to overcome a five-goal deficit and win in extra time.

Denmark and Sweden played in the bronze medal match as the former pulled off a 30-25 win. Denmark always looked like the third-best team in the tournament behind Norway and France, but winning bronze was a big accomplishment for the Danish, who didn't qualify for the Tokyo Games.