The Olympics may be over, but the memories of the Games live on in pictures. For two weeks, we were treated to the incredible talents of the world’s top athletes in exhilarating competitions. Now, we’re thrilled to present some of the best shots captured by IMAGO’s talented photographers. Get ready to explore some truly amazing photos that will take your breath away.
Surfing is one of the six new sports that made their debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The surfing heats took place in Teahupo’o in Tahiti and provided the perfect setting for some truly breathtaking water sports photography.
Perhaps the most spectacular photo of the Olympics was captured by Ma Ping. He managed to get a perfect shot of the Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina during the surfing heats in Tahiti. No wonder it became very famous in a very short time.
IMAGO / Xinhua / Ma Ping I Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina during round 3 of the Men’s Surfing competition at Paris 2024.
IMAGO / Xinhua / Ben Thouard I Taina Hinckel (BRA) catches a wave during a surfing training session in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
IMAGO / Xinhua / Ben Thouard I Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) during the first round of the men’s surfing competitions at Paris 2024 captured from underneath the water.
Other water sports at the Paris 2024 Olympics also presented a great opportunity for incredible shots. Below you can see one perfect moment captured in water polo as US goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg tries to defend a shot. The other picture shows the American swimmer Hunter Armstrong diving perfectly into the water during the men’s 100m backstroke heats.
IMAGO / USA TODAY Network / Michael Madrid | The American goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg defends a shot by Romania during the water polo tournament at Paris 2024.
IMAGO / USA TODAY Network / Rob Schumacher | Hunter Armstrong (USA) in the men’s 100m backstroke preliminary heats during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Gymnastics at Paris 2024 offered a great opportunity to create stunning photos that capture the essence of athletic artistry. The dynamic movements performed by world-class gymnasts provide IMAGO’s photographers with unique opportunities to find the perfect angle and immortalize these breathtaking moments. The following selection of images exemplifies this, highlighting the visual appeal of gymnastics and the connection between sport and art.
IMAGO / Moritz Müller | German gymnast Andreas Tuba at the horizontal bar during the Olympics 2024.
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Julien Mattia | Gymnast Simone Biles in the air while on the uneven bars during Paris 2024.
IMAGO / Xinhua / Cheng Min | Italian gymnast Sofia Raffaeli doing rhythmic gymnastics at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
IMAGO / USA TODAY Network / James Lang | The US-American gymnast Paul Juda perfectly aligned with the background while competing on the vault at Paris 2024.
Sometimes the different disciplines of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games blended into each other. For example, when rugby players lift their teammates above their heads to reach the ball, creating a perfect move, as if they were competing in the gymnastics category. In the image below, you can see the US rugby player Aaron Cummings performing this exact move, lifting up his teammate Kevon Williams to try and reach the ball.
IMAGO / Inpho Photography / Dan Sheridan | Aaron Cummings lifting up Kevon Williams during the Men’s Rugby Sevens at Paris 2024.
The judo athletes also showed how acrobatic they can be, with moments that seemed to blur the line between judo and gymnastics. The Paris 2024 Olympic tournament provided opportunities for capturing unexpected shots as the judokas performed moves that looked like they were competing in gymnastics.
IMAGO / GEPA pictures / Armin Rauthener | Katryna Esposito and Baasankhuu Bavuudorj competing in the 48 kg women’s judo tournament of the 2024 Olympics.
IMAGO / ANP / Remko de Waal | Julie Buerskens competing against Pauline Starke in the women’s judo tournament at the Olympic Games 2024.
It is not only the athletes who are featured in the stunning photos of this Summer Olympics. France’s most famous landmark - the Eiffel Tower - also played an important role in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Part of the Opening Ceremony took place in front of the site, some sports events were held right next to the tower, and the Olympic rings hung from the iron tower.
IMAGO / UPI Photo / Paul Hanna | The full moon behind the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower.
IMAGO / Beautiful Sports / Olaf Rellisch | Ukrainian athlete Lyudmila Olyanovska during the women’s 20km Race Walk in front of the Eiffel Tower.
IMAGO / Shutterstock / Ryan Browne | Sunset over the beach volleyball arena in front of the Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, the Eiffel Tower was not the only Parisian icon to be captured in images during these Olympics. The Louvre Museum and the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre have been protagonists of many beautiful images during the 2024 Olympic Games. In the picture below, you can see the Olympic flame in the balloon and the famous glass pyramid of the “Musée du Louvre”. The Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre was perfectly captured during the cycling events of this year’s Summer Olympics as they passed through the streets of the French capital.
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS / Marie-Paola Bertrand-Hillion | The Olympic cauldron with the Olympic flame lifts off behind the Louvre during Paris 2024.
IMAGO / CTK Photo / Michal Cerveny | Czech cyclist Julia Kopecky in front of the Sacré-Cœur during the Women’s Road Race at Paris 2024.
In Paris 2024, Victor Wembanyama participated in his first Olympic competition with the French basketball team. The 2.24m tall player played a good tournament, giving his opponents like Stephen Curry a hard time as they had to shoot high to play against him.
IMAGO / Bildbyran / Petter Arvidson | Stephen Curry shooting over defending player Victor Wembanyama in the men’s basketball final between France and the USA at Paris 2024.
The US basketball team around Stephen Curry won the gold medal after a great performance by the Golden State Warrior against France in the final. The Paris 2024 basketball tournament was a stage for the world’s best players.
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS / Eliot Blondet | Stephen Curry celebrates after an important 3-point-shot during the men’s basketball final at the 2024 Olympics.
Events like the farewell of Brazilian football legend Marta at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris are always emotional. In sports like football at the Olympic games, where global icons showcase their talents on the world stage, a farewell carries an even greater significance, symbolizing the end of an era. Marta's farewell is not just an end but a celebration of her incredible contributions to the sport and the Olympic spirit.
IMAGO / Xinhua / Cao Can | The Brazilian football player Marta after her last appearance in a major tournament for the Brazilian national team.
Emotions were shown not only because of the goodbyes. Winning Olympic medals can also trigger emotions, and each athlete celebrates them in a different way. The Olympic games are a stage where every emotion is amplified, making each moment unforgettable.
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS / Eliot Blondet | Yannick Borel celebrates after winning against Kazuyasu Minobe in the round of 16 of the fencing tournament during the Olympic Games 2024.
IMAGO / Kyodo News | The Japanese artistic gymnastics team celebrates winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
IMAGO / Shutterstock / Javier Garcia | Jordan Chiles celebrates winning bronze in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Floor Exercise with her teammate Simone Biles.
IMAGO / AAP / Dave Hunt | Charlie Senior (l) and Abdumalik Khalokov (r) make a backflip after the men’s semifinal boxing match at Paris 2024.
IMAGO / Xinhua / Yang Lei | Liu Huanhua (m) celebrates winning the gold medal in the men’s 102kg weightlifting competition of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.
IMAGO / Inpho Photography / Morgan Treacy | Sha’Carri Richardson celebrates after winning the 4x100m final gold medal with Team USA in Paris 2024.
The Olympic games are an event full of emotions, and Paris 2024 was once again full of beautiful moments, such as the proposal of Badminton player Liu Yuchen to his girlfriend Huang Yaqiong.
IMAGO / VCG | Badminton player Liu Yuchen proposes to gold medalist Huang Yaqiong after the medal ceremony at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Sportsmanship was a constant presence throughout the 2024 Olympics. A perfect example was seen after the photo finish in the men's 100m final, where Noah Lyles and his competitor Kishane Thompson stood side by side, awaiting the final results together.
IMAGO / USA TODAY Network / Yukihito Taguchi | Kishane Thompson (l) and Noah Lyles (r) await the results of the men’s 100m finals at Paris 2024 together.
The athletes always remained focused on their goals - or, as vividly captured in many photos from the table tennis matches, kept their eyes on the ball.
IMAGO / Bildbyran / Maxim Thore | Swedish table tennis player Christina Kallberg during the match against Cuba at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
IMAGO / Icon Sportswire / Pete Dovgan | Felix Lebrun serves during the Men’s bronze medal table tennis match against Hugo Calderano at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Skateboarding, one of the exciting new disciplines in Paris 2024, offered IMAGO photographers a new space to capture stunning pictures. The athletes executed tricks like high-flying ollies or complex kickflips. Capturing these moments required precision and creativity, as the photographers had to anticipate the skaters' movements and find the perfect angles to showcase the sport.
IMAGO / Sports Press Photo / Richard Callis | Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal completes the trick that wins her the bronze medal in the women’s street skateboarding heats at Paris 2024.
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire / Mickael Chavet | Augusto Akio (BRA) celebrates after winning the bronze medal in the men’s skateboarding park final at Paris 2024.
Sometimes the venues steal the show. Some of the sports facilities that hosted the competitions during the Paris 2024 Olympics were so beautiful that they alone made the pictures amazing.
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire / Martin Dokoupil | Kazuma Tomoto (JAP) during the cross-country test of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
IMAGO / Vitalii Kliuiev | Fencing at the Olympic Games 2024 in the stunning Grand Palais in Paris, France.
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS / Nicolas Gouhier | Bronze medal winner Anthony Jeanjean in the air in front of Place de la Concorde at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The photographers also captured the athletic competitions at the perfect moment, creating stunning photos of the Olympic athletes.
IMAGO / Kyodo News | Australian athlete Nina Kennedy competes to win the women’s pole vault final at the 2024 Olympics.
IMAGO / Bildbyran / Vegard Grott | The close 100m men’s final at the Paris 2024 Olympics that ended in a photo finish.
Capturing motion and dynamics in a photo is very difficult for photographers. However, IMAGO’s sports photographers managed to do it perfectly in Paris 2024, as shown in the examples below.
IMAGO / USA TODAY Network / Katie Goodalex | Ana Carvajal (ESP) competes on the women’s 10m platform during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
IMAGO / Bildbyran / Ludvig Thunman | Eileen Cikamatana during the 81kg-weightlifting final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
IMAGO / Bildbyran / Maxim Thore | Ronald Zabala-Goetschel falls off his horse Forever Young Wundermaske during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Closing Ceremony presented the end of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. A spectacular show set an end to this year’s exciting Olympics.
IMAGO / USA TODAY Network / Rob Schumacher | Alain Roche performs on a piano suspended vertically from the air during the Olympic closing ceremony of Paris 2024.