Paris Olympics 2024: Carlos Yulo to the legendary Mijain Lopez Nunezee — Amazing stories you may have missed

The ‘story behind the story’ has always been one of the most enduring attractions of the Olympic Games and this year’s instalment has proven to be no less amazing.

As the outside world crumbles into hate-filled barbs and violent attacks, all in the name of race, religion, and right to free speech, the glory of sport has shone through once again and given fans some incredible ‘gold medal’ moments.

But what about the mayhem and madness you might have missed?

The moments that were magnificent but not billboard, brilliant but not ‘showy’, the ones that can make you cry or cheer for the ‘other guy’…

Left for dead and now the pride of a nation

Wycliffe Kinyamal Kisasy is a Kenyan-born 800m Commonwealth Games Champion who was never meant to make it – but oh how he has.

Left for dead soon after a premature birth, it was clear he would not make it, but his will to survive shone through.

The midwives, after seeing how tiny he was, wrapped him in a blanket and kept him in a banana plantation outside the house in Kenya, awaiting burial rituals the next day.

His rescuer, Mr Sirayo, recalls hearing his neighbours wailing and rushed to the home.

The midwives told him what had happened and he requested to see the newborn.

“When I held him and listened to the heartbeat, he was still breathing. I asked my wife to look for warm blankets and we rushed the baby to the hospital where we were welcomed by nurses who put him in the incubator. That is how we managed to save the boy,” Mr Sirayo said

“We didn’t know that he would one day become a champion and we are glad because he recently held a small ceremony and even rewarded my wife with a cow as a way of appreciation.’’

Two-bedroom condo and colonoscopies for life

Ever wondered what winning two gold medals for the Philippines gets you?

Maybe not quite what you imagined, although the returns and prestige are likely to set 24-year-old gymnast Carlos Yulo up for life.

Yulo made history as the first male Olympic gold medalist for the Philippines winning two ‘golds’ in gymnastics in Paris and scooped the pool after Filipino real estate company Megaworld announced it would award each of the country’s Olympians who returned with a gold medal, a two-bedroom condo in the company’s McKinley Hill township.

In addition to the furnished condo, the Philippine government will give Yulo 10 million Philippine pesos, or $US172,519. The country’s House of Representatives has also pledged 6 million Philippine pesos, or $US103,511.

Yulo will also be able to take advantage of a lifetime supply of ramen from various restaurant chains in the country and a gastroenterologist has even offered Yulo free consultations and colonoscopies for life.

The five-time gold medalist you’ve probably never heard of

Cuban Greco-Roman wrestling legend, Mijain Lopez Nunez, has achieved a feat that will be very hard to topple.

The 41-year-old has just won a record five Olympic gold medals in a row and will go down in history as one of the greatest-ever Olympians.

In the men’s Greco-Roman 130kg final, Lopez beat his Chilean opponent Yasmani Acosta Fernandez 6-0 to bag gold at five consecutive Summer Games.

Lopez previously won Olympic golds at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

Following his victory at the Paris 2024, Lopez became the first athlete to secure five gold medals in the same event.

If you thought ‘golden girl’ Arisa Trew was young

Questions continue to be asked about age limits on Olympic athletes, and as Aussies, we thought we had cornered the market with golden girl Arisa Trew.

We are reminded that the youngest athlete in Paris isn’t even near being a teenager yet!

At the ripe old age of 11, Chinese skate sensation Zheng HaoHao is the youngest competitor in Paris.

Zheng showed she is a star of the future in the women’s park preliminary contest, managing a clean run worth 63.19 points. The run was not enough to see her through to the final but she will gain further valuable experience for LA in four years. time.

Australia’s youngest athletes are chaperoned by parents and coaching staff and utilise off-site accommodation even though they have access, with an adult, to the athlete’s village.

Crazy cameraman in the thick of the action

Chaos for runners in the 5000m heats on the track at Stade De France as they were nearly brought down by an oblivious cameraman who strayed into their path midway through the race.

Athletes ducked and weaved as officials and commentators screamed at the rogue vision operative to clear out.

Eurosport commentators could not believe what they were seeing: “There’s a cameraman in the way and the athletes had to go wide. The cameraman was just standing there.

“The cameraman was stood there in lane two and the athletes had to run around him. Oh, it’s been one of those mornings.”