10 best Olympic moments: Australia’s greatest athlete Jess Fox was the star of week one
A horse, a monument which sits in silence, and a girl who had five knee operations have been lauded among our top 10 stars of week one of the Games.
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The first week of the Olympics has contained good, bad and ugly moments but the best were majestic. Here’s our top 10.
1. The Fox hunt: It’s not just Jess Fox’s two gold medals that sparkle so brightly but the way she lit up the Games with smiles and waves and chats to everyone from A-List celebrities to humble gate-keepers in her country of birth.Fox is Australia’s greatest athlete. She absorbs pressure which would rock most people and turns it into the super fuel that drove her to two vastly different golds, one by setting a swift early time, the next with a feverishly pressurised chase as the last competitor. Brilliant.
2 Eiffel power: Brisbane 2032 Games officials did well not to hide in a corner when they saw the stunning grandeur of the beach volleyball competition in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Suddenly Stefan’s Skyneedle on the Brisbane River just seemed a tad smaller. The pulsating Games venues, from rugby sevens at the Stade de France to the white water of the Nautical Stadium, simply rocked.
3 Simone Biles: The greatest story of the Games, one which drew three of the finest athletes of the century (Zinedine Zidane, Steph Curry and Nadia Comaneci) on the one night to laud her majestic gymnastic talent as she continued her 11-year unbeaten run in all-round competition. Her comeback from anxiety issues in Tokyo stretches far beyond sport and has made her a figure of global inspiration. Superstars looked like teenage Taylor Swift fans as they rushed to get their phone cameras out when she came by. Star power deluxe.
4 The photo: There is always one definitive jaw-dropping photo from a Games and French photograph Jermone Brouillet has it already. He sensed he has something special when Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina shot like a cork from a bottle out of one of the biggest waves but was still shocked when he checked his camera to find that one of the four shots he took looked like the man and his board are standing nearby each other on a train platform – except they are both falling through thin air. The shot is so good that many believe it will enhance the popularity of the sport.
5 Neon Leon: French superstar Leon Marchand has pocketed three golds but the ear-popping roar for his first in the individual medley was clocked at 106 decibels. They experts tell us that was like a Boeing jet passing 100m over the stadium. If anything, it sounded closer. He is set for a life of fame and fortune after his grand deeds here. The roars for French athletes in all sports has been incredible.
6 Star power: Celebrities make big events and this one has felt like Oscar night without the speeches. Everyone wants to get to Paris. From film stars like Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron to director Stephen Spielberg, to Jill Biden, Bill Gates, Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga, Serena Williams … it’s almost quicker to name who’s not here.
7 Drama: Games need bushfires as well as brilliance and this one has plenty of both. From took many vegan dishes in the village, to the state of the Seine River, to drug whispers at the pool, to a transgender row at the boxing which triggered a world wide debate, the Games have crackled with controversy and talking points.
8 Ariarne’s glory: For three years coach Dean Boxall has fretted that her new superstar status would distract and undermine her bid for a second 400m gold. In customary fashion, she surged to victory with four wheel drive-like predictability and power for an iconic win.
9 In-Seine horse power: Opinions were flowing back and forth about the merits of having an opening ceremony on a river but a majestic prolonged sequence involving a silver horse being ridden up the Seine elevated the entire show and briefly made the super-stinky Seine look as pure as like a fizzing glass of mineral water which is not easy to do.
10 The food:Corn flakes and ice cream are probably the only two dishes that don’t come with French fries here but who can complain about that? The simple smell of fresh fruit has had its own charms and the French patisseries have infatuated the masses as the French are one of the few nations who can make a green tart look irresistible.
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Originally published as 10 best Olympic moments: Australia’s greatest athlete Jess Fox was the star of week one
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