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The 2024 Paris Olympics were a display of absolute athletic ability and sporting prowess as athletes from across the globe vied for a spot on the podium. While many tasted Olympic glory for the first time, there were some looking to keep their winning streak alive on the world’s biggest stage.
While making it to the top of the podium at an event as significant as the Olympics is one of the most difficult things to do, there is perhaps only one feat that is harder to achieve - making it to the top of the podium for a second time.
However, the best of the best do manage that, seemingly against all odds. Here is a list of five such athletes who successfully defended their titles at the Paris Olympics.
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Five Olympians at the Paris Olympics who succesfully defended their podiums
#5 Ryan Crouser
Ryan Crouser, already considered one of the most dominant shot put athletes of all-time, further established his status as one of the greats of the sport at the Paris Olympics. The American stormed to a third-consecutive gold in as many attempts, making him the first person in the history of the event to claim three back-to-back Olympics titles.
Eight years ago, at the 2016 Rio Games, Crouser had claimed his first Olympic title by a throw that measured 2.52m, setting a new Olympic record and becoming the first American in over a decade to win a shot put gold.
Crouser had an even more dominant outing at the Tokyo Games, where he entered as the reigning world record-holder, having achieved a mark of 23.37m in July 2021 at the U.S Olympic Trials. In Tokyo, he beat his own Olympic record with a 23.30m to defend his title.
#4 Ariarne Titmus
At the Tokyo Olympics, a 21-year-old Ariarne Titmus stunned the world when she beat reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder, Katie Ledecky, to the gold in the women's 400m freestyle. This race, combined with Titmus' win at the 2019 World Championships, established the Australian as one of the most promising professional swimmers in the world.
After her performance in Tokyo, Titmus broke Ledecky’s 400m freestyle world record in 2022, and came to the Paris Olympics as a strong contender to defend her title. The 23-year-old certainly lived up to the hype, touching the wall nearly a second ahead of silver-medalist Summer McIntosh, while her long-time rival Ledecky took bronze.
#3 Mondo Duplantis
While most sports at an event as momentous as the Olympics promise some cutthroat competition, that wasn't quite the case for men's pole vault at the Paris Olympics. Switzerland’s Mondo Duplantis came into the Games as the Olympic champion, two-time World Champion, and eight-time world record holder. He left Paris as a two-time Olympic gold-medalist and a nine-time world-record holder.
While the crowds of Stade De France may not have witnessed the thrill of two rivals trying to outdo each other, Duplantis alone was more than enough to keep the crowd hooked. Early into the finals, the Swiss had already secured his second Olympic title when he cleared a height of 6.00m. However, always the showman, the 24-year-old went on to raise the bar for himself and set a new world record of 6.25m before he was satisfied.
With this, Duplantis has won gold in six out of the seven major global competitions he has participated in, with the only exception being the 2019 World Championships where he finished second.
#2 Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky is widely regarded as one of the greatest swimmers in the history of the sport, and her performance at the Paris Olympics proved why. In the 800m freestyle event, Ledecky stormed to her fourth-consecutive gold medal, and she also successfully defended her 1500m freestyle title from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
With this, Ledecky becomes the most decorated female swimmer of all time, the most decorated American women of all time, and the fifth-most decorated athlete in Olympic history. Alongside her two gold medals in Paris, she also won a silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay and a bronze in the 400m freestyle, the latter being her first Olympic medal of the color. Overall, the American boasts 14 Olympic medals, nine of which are gold.
#1 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Much like Mondo Duplantis was a shoo-in for the men's pole vault title at the Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was expected to walk away with the gold in the women's 400m hurdles with ease. The American has gone unbeaten since early 2021, when she set a world record of 51.90s at the U.S. Olympic Trials. From there, the American went on to win the Tokyo Olympics gold, and the 2022 World Championships, breaking her own world records in both races.
After these performances, McLaughlin-Levrone came to the Paris Olympics as a favorite for the win, and she delivered with ease. In the finals, the 24-year-old clocked yet another world record, this time a 50.37s that helped her defend her title. The 2024 Games also saw McLaughlin-Levrone claim a second 4x400m relay Olympic gold as part of Team USA.
