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Breakdancing Raygun, Tom Cruise's closing ceremony stunt and the most meme-able moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics

Cassie Morris

The 2024 Summer Olympics might have come to a close, but we'll always have Paris — and the hilarious memes the Games left behind. From Bob the Cap Catcher to LeBron James as George Washington, here’s a look at some of the most viral moments to come out of the Paris Games.

Rachael Gunn — aka Raygun — became an overnight sensation when footage of her Olympic breakdancing routine hit social media. Breaking was the only new sport to be added to this year's Summer Olympics.

When Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian who has a PhD in cultural studies, faced off against U.S. breaker Logistx, her performance took off online, giving rise to an onslaught of memes.

In one of the most anticipated moments of the Olympics closing ceremony, Tom Cruise leapt off of the roof of the Stade de France, grabbed the Olympic flag, hopped on the back of a motorcycle, then (in a prerecorded segment) dove out of a plane — completing the most Tom Cruise stunt ever. But even when he was just being a spectator in the crowd, Cruise made waves online.

Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin won the internet's heart when footage of her podium confusion went viral.

While posing for photos with her silver medal, Zhou, 18, noticed that her fellow balance beam medalists — Italian gymnasts Alice D’Amato, who won gold, and Manila Esposito, who took bronze — were taking their ceremonial medal chomp. Clearly unfamiliar with the tradition, Zhou brought the medal to her mouth — and thus, a wholesome meme was born.

During the opening ceremony, basketball legend LeBron James stood at the bow of the boat filled with U.S. athletes, an American flag proudly billowing in his hand as one of Team USA’s flag bearers.

The internet immediately drew a connection to Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting Washington Crosses the Delaware, and a meme was born.

When U.S. swimmer Emma Weber lost her swimming cap during the women’s 100-meter breaststroke preliminary race, the internet rallied around the lifeguard in a Speedo who got it back for her, dubbing him Bob the Cap Catcher.

Norwegian swimmer and three-time Olympian Henrik Christiansen gained internet fame not for his swimming performance, but for his love of chocolate muffins served in the Olympic Village — earning him the title of Muffin Man, which he proudly accepted.

Pommel horse hero Stephen Nedoroscik immediately captured the hearts and imaginations of viewers at home, launching a slew of memes across social media during his time at the Games. His transformation on and off the gymnastics floor became the stuff of meme legends.

Olympic shooting achieved a new level of popularity when footage of Yusuf Dikeç of Turkey and Kim Ye-ji of South Korea hit the internet. The two looked effortlessly cool as they competed, which gave rise to an onslaught of John Wick and Pulp Fiction comparisons, along with anime fan art imaginings.

The two competitors were also contrasted in memes, as the sleek, precise look of Ye-ji was put up against Dikeç’s cool, casual vibe.

When French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati tried to clear a height of 5.7 meters, a certain appendage got in the way, knocking the bar to the ground, and earning the athlete the title of the Olympic Baguette.

Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa became the envy of the internet when news of her Parmigiano-Reggiano sponsorship hit social media. Photos of Villa cradling a giant cheese wheel and doing a split on a stack of Parmesan had just the right makings of an overnight meme.

Rapper, producer and actor Snoop Dogg can now add three new titles to his résumé: Olympic torchbearer, special correspondent and meme sweetheart. By just being himself at the Games, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. stole the hearts of viewers around the world and inspired thousands of memes across social media.

Brazil’s Gabriel Medina might have made history with his 9.9 ride on the waves of Teahupo'o, but it was photographer Jerome Brouillet’s photo of the event that really made waves online. But the once-in-a-lifetime photo of Medina might have met its match in the shot of German surfer Tim Elter losing his swimming trunks while competing.

A post shared by Jerome Brouillet Photography 🐳 (@jeromebrouilletphotography)

Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav became a beloved Olympics icon when it was announced he was sponsoring Team USA women’s water polo team and providing financial support to Veronica Fraley, a track and field athlete from Raleigh, N.C. Footage of the rapper hyping up athletes and speaking at press conferences quickly went viral during the Games.

A new TikTok trend emerged during the Games in which athletes shared footage of themselves failing in their respective sports, accompanied by some variant of the tongue-in-cheek caption, “Unfortunately, I was not chosen for the 2024 Olympics.”

After her stumble off the balance beam, Suni Lee herself got in on the meme, finding the humor in the unfortunate fall.

While not every meme went viral or created a social media trend, there was no shortage of internet humor mined at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Here’s a look at some other notable memes from the Games.

Updated, Aug. 12, 2024, 12:52 p.m.: This story was originally published on Aug. 6 and has been updated to include additional memes from the Games.

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