Who won the Olympics? The five Paris 2024 competitors who went viral are my winners at The Games

For those of us who can't tell the triple jump from the trampolining competition, the 2024 Paris Olympics still provided its fair share of entertainment. But far from the sporting arena, these successes came on the fast-moving field of social media.

These Games set a new world record for viral moments - from wardrobe malfunctions to bonkers breakdancing, this truly was an event to be savoured, with meme fodder to last us at least the next four years.

And while the medal winners will be recorded in the history books, these are the people we will all remember most vividly. So, here are my favourite five to make my extended podium of Olympic-sized internet infamy...

Anthony Ammirati’s $250k package deal

For pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, his misfortune with one, ahem, pole, may pay off with another. The high-flying Frenchman shot to social media fame when he failed an attempt due to his, well, lycra-clad manhood dislodged the bar.

With video of the incident gaining millions of adoring views online, it may turn out to be worth more than any gold medal, with the 21-year-old reportedly being offered a £250,000 contract with an adult entertainment company. Ooh-er Anthony.

Yusuf ‘the assassin’ Dikeç

Yusuf Dikeç won silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, alongside partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan. This was a  historic moment for Turkey, being their first ever Olympic shooting medal.

But it was Yusuf's chilled demeanour and casual attire that caught the attention of the masses. Going viral across the internet, many commenters said he had 'main character energy' dubbing him the 'hitman' and 'assassin'.

In truth he's a retired non-commissioned officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie, but all I'm saying is, his ice-cold stare and nerves of steel could potentially offer him other employment routes.

Stephen Nedoroscik AKA Clarke Kent

Another medal-winner who set the internet alight is artistic gymnast and pommel horse specialist, Stephen Nedoroscik. However, it wasn’t his place on the podium that rocketed him to stardom.

Stephen became an overnight internet sensation for wearing black, rectangular-rimmed glasses while he waited on the sidelines, before removing them to step up and shine on the pommel. The look garnered countless comments comparing the American to Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent.

Gabriel Medina and that photo

Possibly the photo of the Paris Olympics, it features an almost biblical image of surfer Gabriel Medina, and his board, seemingly floating above the water. While there were accusations the shot had been Photoshopped, it was in fact a perfectly timed snap caught by photographer Jerome Brouillet.

The photo was taken only moments after the Brazilian set an Olympics record with a 9.90 score on the two-metre Tahitian waves. Jerome said: “It was not hard to take the picture. It was more about anticipating the moment and where Gabriel will kick off the wave.”

Raygun

In Olympic terms, Rachael Gunn left the competition after failing to score a single point. While on the face of it that might seem like a bad outcome, let me ask you this - how many other breakdancer's names can you remember? And how many other Olympians got a special mention from Adele? I rest my case.

Known as "breaking" in sporting circles, the urban dance that became popular in the 1980s raised some eyebrows when it made its Olympic debut in Paris but Racheal’s performance raised them even further. But I think Adele summed it up perfectly when she said during one of her Munich shows: “I can't work out if it was a joke, but either way, it has made me very, very happy and me and my friends have been s**ting ourselves laughing for 24 hours.”

So, if you did miss some of the 2024 Olympics highlights and feel like catching up - I recommend you start with my pick of the five greatest moments above. A mixture of moments that will leave you awestruck, gobsmacked, rolling on the floor laughing, or a combination of all three.