By: Melissa Zhao
Athletes from the far corners of the world have gathered at Paris, the City of Light, to compete in events they have trained years for. Swimming, diving, table tennis, sprinting, and badminton; it has it all! -and more. Some athletes are experienced veterans that have already become resistant to the yelps of the action hungry crowd, and some are full of new talent that promise shocking acts. One thing is guaranteed though – a good show.
Young swimmer Summer Mcintosh, at only 17 years old, won three gold and silver medals for Canada in this year’s Olympics. This remarkable feat is made even more special by the fact that she is racing with Olympians like Katie Ledecky. Summer won gold medals in the 400-meter I.M., the 200-meter I.M., and the 200-meter butterfly, and a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle, just a bit faster than Ledecky, who earned bronze. Ledecky is now a 4-time Olympian and as a 14-time Olympic medalist who has already won 9 gold, 4 silver, and a bronze medal. The U.S. swimmer’s fame and experience makes Summer’s victory more special than ever.
Meanwhile, Quan Hongchan of China, also only 17 years old, has become a legend in diving, having earned 10s from all the judges before–a perfect score. In the 2024 Olympics, Quan won 2 gold medals, in the 10-meter platform diving, and the synchronized 10-meter platform, which she performed with her teammate, Chen Yuxi. At such a young age, Quan is already a diving queen in both China and around the world. “I just dived every day. Each day, I needed to practice about seven hours, and some days I practiced for 10 hours,” she said in a report after her first gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
Truls Möregårdh, Swedish table tennis player, won a silver medal in the men’s table tennis singles. Surpassed only by China’s Fan Zhendong, who won gold in the gold medal match. At 22 years old he is extremely fast and very strong, coming after years of hard training, which is very suitable for table tennis. With 2 Olympic medals, Möregårdh is ready for another victory in 2028 after even more harsh training.
Every athlete, big or small, old or young, has their own talent. Whether they win gold, silver, bronze, or nothing at all, there’s always next time. 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, here they come!