A pair of surprising events at the Paris Olympics have caught the public’s imagination and taken on a life of their own on social media as the 2024 Games draw to a close.
A rather wonderful thing occurred during the highly competitive women’s volleyball gold medal match between Canada and Brazil.
As detailed in this clip posted on X by Bastien Fachan, the competing teams became engaged in a verbal dispute halfway through the match, resulting in a yellow card for the Canadians. Bad feeling continued, until the DJ in the arena took it upon himself to start playing John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’, something clocked by both teams who began smiling at each other. The beautiful moment continued with the crowd joining in the song as well.
Brazil went on to win the gold medal in a close three-setter match, with Switzerland claiming bronze.
Meanwhile, Australian breakdancing competitor B-Girl Raygun – real name Rachael Gunn – took to the floor with some moves considered rather eccentric by the viewing masses.
Aged 36. Raygun is twice the age of some of her rivals, but is Australia’s top-ranking breakdancer and represented her country at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She has become an internet sensation with her routine in Paris, which involved moves some compared to a child falling over, Homer Simpson running and a dancing kangaroo.
B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia competes during the B-Girls Round Robin at Place de la Concorde on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Gunn sadly lost out in the round robin qualifier on Friday, failing to make the final in the event, which is making its debut at these Games and is not currently on the slate of disciplines for the LA Games in 2028.
