The Paris 2024 Olympics have been one of the most engaging games so far, with athletes and the public alike sharing laughs and hopping on social media trends
The Paris 2024 Olympics have captivated audiences worldwide with electrifying action and emotional gold medal moments but thereâs a specific place the Olympics have taken over in a fashion only the 2024 Paris Olympics have achieved â and thatâs the social media trends.
All over TikTok and X (or Twitter) in particular, both the athletes in the village and the general public have turned one of the most competitive and prestigious competitions dating back to Ancient Greece into one of the most comical events. And to be honest, it has all truly encapsulated the Olympic spirit. Heroic wins, history made, athletic excellence and laughter. What else could you need?
Here are some of the best Olympic trends sweeping through social media.
Henrik Christiansen, The Muffin Man
Google his name and youâll find prompts such as âWho is the Muffin Man in the Olympics?â. Henrik Christiansen is a three-time Olympian and a Norwegian swimmer whose accolades derive mostly from the 1500m freestyle event but this time, his love affair with the chocolate muffins in the villageâs dining hall is whatâs putting him (and the muffins) in the spotlight.
The chocolate muffin lore started with a TikTok review of the meals the swimmer had at the village on 25th July, where the chocolate muffin got the highest rating of 11/10. Since then, not only has he gone on to make about 12 different but equally hilarious videos about the muffin, but countless other athletes began playing along with him on the platform.Â
If you thought the plot was already thick, it just kept thickening, and thickeningâŠand thickening. From athletes hilariously having to try cookies instead due to the muffins getting snapped up and facing disappointment, to sneaking out muffins for their friends and families outside the village to get in on the hype, the muffin lore taught us one thing: that the Olympians and the public bonding over a muffin shows that we are all just the same humorous bunch.
Sad to report I did not get selected for the Olympics
If you're secretly on TikTok or Twitter during work hours, do not watch a video from this trend. It's the kind that hits you. It really gets you good.
They start off with athletes doing their sport as per normal, before something suddenly goes so bad that you can't help but laugh.
As if the fails aren't funny enough, they're either soundtracked to a trap remix of the American national anthem or the Olympic anthem, which makes them unnecessarily ten times funnier.
While the videos are mostly from failed dives and gymnastics routines, there is the odd sport that chimes in on the trend, even one from a local relay event.
In this day and age of social media, there's something about self-deprecation that just hits the spot. Perhaps it's because it's relatable and shows that nobody's perfect and that's okay. Sometimes, in this case, it even gets everyone together and with the way the world has been in recent years, that hasn't always been easy. So, the next time you see a friend fall, remember to laugh first, then help.
Stephen Nedoroscik, The Pommel Horse Guy
They doubted Pommel Horse Guy. They said Pommel Horse Guy wasn't worthy since he only Pommel Horses. But Pommel Horse Guy helped Team USA their first gymnastics medal in 16 years, became an American hero and won the hearts of millions around the world.
Stephen Nedoroscik gained worldwide fame for his nonchalance at the artistic gymnastics men's team finals, where the men's US team decided to do the pommel horse event last. This left Nedoroscik, the pommel horse specialist, waiting for more than two hours before his turn. I don't know about you, but if long-awaited medal hopes for my country rested on my shoulders, I'd need to be sedated while I wait for two hours.
But then again, Nedoroscik is a national and world champion at pommel horse. His job was pommel horse. His performance was so anticipated that the broadcasters at NBC in America began a countdown clock for him but as the world waited, he closed his eyes and leaned back.
By the time the two hours were finally up, Nedoroscik had the world rooting for him. As if he was transforming from Clarke Kent to Superman, the Penn State engineering student took off his much needed glasses and pommel horsed team USA's way to bronze. And just like that, he became an internet sensation.
Trading pins at the Olympic village
At the start of the Paris Olympics, we watched as Olympians began trading pins with each other and rating each country's pins. There were even some that were sought out for such as Team USA gymnast Simone Biles' and rugby player Ilona Maher's exclusive pin, Snoop Dog's pin and those of countries with eccentrically designed badges.
On a quest to collect as many pins as possible, New Zealand's Rugby Sevens team eventually ran out of pins but their determination to get more knew no bounds. The Olympic champions began collecting bottle upon bottles of drinks for their support staff to get more pins from them to trade.
With so much media coverage around the athletes and some as far as being celebrities, it's easy to forget that they too are human beings like us. It's also easy to forget that even with the competitive nature of the games, the point of it is to bring the world together.
Seeing the athletes put aside rivalry to make friends and trade pins with strangers is the essence of the Olympics. Though it's a longstanding tradition at the Olympic village, the general public have only been able to immerse themselves in the atmosphere this year through social media and the rise of TikTok videos and trends, something that was still missing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics riddled by Covid, social distancing and empty arenas.
After the Covid-stricken Tokyo Olympics, Paris 2024 has reignited the love the world has for the games. In the past few weeks, perhaps doomscrolling on TikTok and Twitter has only inspired us more to not only dream and achieve like the athletes at the Olympics, but to also remember to not take life too seriously. Find the laughter in tough times and most importantly, to never delete TikTok and Twitter simply for the memes. Imagine not knowing about Pommel Horse Guy?