In Pictures: Olympic Highlights From Our Regions
As the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris draw to a close on August 11, RFE/RL relives some of the most memorable moments of our regions' athletes as they pursued Olympic gold.
![Viktoria Kesar of Ukraine competes in the women's 3-meter springboard preliminary on August 7. Around 11,000 of the world's top athletes gathered in Paris to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics that took place from July 26 to August 11. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-032d-08dcb7826c87_cx0_cy7_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Viktoria Kesar of Ukraine competes in the women's 3-meter springboard preliminary on August 7.
Around 11,000 of the world's top athletes gathered in Paris to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics that took place from July 26 to August 11.
Around 11,000 of the world's top athletes gathered in Paris to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics that took place from July 26 to August 11.
![Uzbekistan's Diyora Keldiyorova (left) takes on Kosovo's Distria Krasniqi in the final of the 52-kilogram women's judo on July 28. Keldiyorova took the gold medal.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-2ea0-08dcb7aa757e_cx0_cy5_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Uzbekistan's Diyora Keldiyorova (left) takes on Kosovo's Distria Krasniqi in the final of the 52-kilogram women's judo on July 28. Keldiyorova took the gold medal.
![Silver medalist Joan-Benjamin Gaba of France (left), gold medalist Hidayat Heydarov of Azerbaijan, and bronze medalist Adil Osmanov of Moldova pose on the podium after the men's 73-kilogram final bout of the judo competition on July 29.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-2bf9-08dcb7a91222_cx0_cy7_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Silver medalist Joan-Benjamin Gaba of France (left), gold medalist Hidayat Heydarov of Azerbaijan, and bronze medalist Adil Osmanov of Moldova pose on the podium after the men's 73-kilogram final bout of the judo competition on July 29.
![Lasha Bekauri of Georgia celebrates after defeating Japan's Sanshiro Murao during their men's 90-kilogram final match in the team judo competition on July 31.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-1a1d-08dcb7a630dc_cx0_cy2_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Lasha Bekauri of Georgia celebrates after defeating Japan's Sanshiro Murao during their men's 90-kilogram final match in the team judo competition on July 31.
![Hubert Kos of Hungary celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's 200-meter backstroke final on August 1.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-d050-08dcb7a82548_cx0_cy10_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Hubert Kos of Hungary celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's 200-meter backstroke final on August 1.
![Bronze medalists Alisher Yusupov of Uzbekistan (right) and Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan celebrate after competing in the men's +100-kilogram judo quarterfinal on August 2.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-256b-08dcb7ae41cb_cx0_cy2_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Bronze medalists Alisher Yusupov of Uzbekistan (right) and Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan celebrate after competing in the men's +100-kilogram judo quarterfinal on August 2.
![Afghan sprinter Kimia Yosufi shows a handwritten slogan that reads "Education, sports, our rights" after reaching the finish line of the 100-meter track preliminary heat on August 2. The Taliban government, which has denied women education and sports since returning to power in August 2021, has said that it does not recognize the participation of female members of Afghanistan’s Olympic team in the Paris games.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-bc74-08dcb7af9e95_cx0_cy2_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Afghan sprinter Kimia Yosufi shows a handwritten slogan that reads "Education, sports, our rights" after reaching the finish line of the 100-meter track preliminary heat on August 2. The Taliban government, which has denied women education and sports since returning to power in August 2021, has said that it does not recognize the participation of female members of Afghanistan’s Olympic team in the Paris games.
![An underwater view shows Hungary's Kristof Milak competing in a heat of the men's 200-meter butterfly swimming event on July 30. Milak took home a gold medal during the men's 100-meter butterfly on August 3.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-13b9-08dcb09a4230_cx0_cy6_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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An underwater view shows Hungary's Kristof Milak competing in a heat of the men's 200-meter butterfly swimming event on July 30. Milak took home a gold medal during the men's 100-meter butterfly on August 3.
![Novak Djokovic of Serbia embraces his daughter Tara after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles tennis final on August 4. Djokovic said winning the gold was the "biggest success [of his] career" and promised to donate the $210,000 earnings awarded by the Serbian government to Serbian charities.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-3305-08dcb7a782d3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia embraces his daughter Tara after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles tennis final on August 4. Djokovic said winning the gold was the "biggest success [of his] career" and promised to donate the $210,000 earnings awarded by the Serbian government to Serbian charities.
![Lasha Bekauri of Georgia gets a hero's welcome as he and his judo teammates arrive at Tbilisi airport on August 4. The Georgian judo team won one gold and two silver medals at the Paris Olympics, with Bekauri earning a second Olympic gold.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-1887-08dcb85fe1e7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Lasha Bekauri of Georgia gets a hero's welcome as he and his judo teammates arrive at Tbilisi airport on August 4. The Georgian judo team won one gold and two silver medals at the Paris Olympics, with Bekauri earning a second Olympic gold.
![Iran's Amin Mirzazadeh carries Azerbaijan's Sabah Saleh Shariati on his shoulders after the latter lost their men's Greco-Roman 130-kilogram bronze-medal wrestling match on August 6.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-7d34-08dcb6ce8c82_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Iran's Amin Mirzazadeh carries Azerbaijan's Sabah Saleh Shariati on his shoulders after the latter lost their men's Greco-Roman 130-kilogram bronze-medal wrestling match on August 6.
![Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine celebrates winning a gold medal in the women's high jump final on August 4. Mahuchikh dedicated her Olympic medal to the nearly 500 athletes and coaches who have been killed since Russia invaded her country in 2022.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-e55b-08dcb525534b_cx0_cy4_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine celebrates winning a gold medal in the women's high jump final on August 4. Mahuchikh dedicated her Olympic medal to the nearly 500 athletes and coaches who have been killed since Russia invaded her country in 2022.
![Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan poses with her silver medal on August 6. Zhumanazarova won after competing in the women's freestyle 68-kilogram.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-567d-08dcb7ab38cd_cx0_cy12_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan poses with her silver medal on August 6. Zhumanazarova won after competing in the women's freestyle 68-kilogram.
![Gashim Magomedov of Azerbaijan reacts after winning the men's 58-kilogram taekwondo semifinal match against Italy's Vito Dell'Aquila on August 7. Magomedov would go on to win a silver medal in a loss to South Korean Park Tae-joon.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-2c8b-08dcb781e744_cx0_cy2_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Gashim Magomedov of Azerbaijan reacts after winning the men's 58-kilogram taekwondo semifinal match against Italy's Vito Dell'Aquila on August 7. Magomedov would go on to win a silver medal in a loss to South Korean Park Tae-joon.
![Mohammadhadi Saravi of Iran celebrates with his coach after defeating Armenia's Artur Aleksanian during their men's Greco-Roman 97-kilogram final wrestling match on August 7.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-012f-08dcb781e75c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Mohammadhadi Saravi of Iran celebrates with his coach after defeating Armenia's Artur Aleksanian during their men's Greco-Roman 97-kilogram final wrestling match on August 7.
![Iran's Alireza Mohmadipiani (bottom) and Ukraine's Zhan Beleniuk compete during their men's Greco-Roman 87-kilogram semifinal wrestling match on August 7. Beleniuk, the first black member of Ukraine’s parliament, won a bronze medal on August 8. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-2e2b-08dcb7826c87_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Iran's Alireza Mohmadipiani (bottom) and Ukraine's Zhan Beleniuk compete during their men's Greco-Roman 87-kilogram semifinal wrestling match on August 7. Beleniuk, the first black member of Ukraine’s parliament, won a bronze medal on August 8.
![Iran's Mobina Nematzadeh (right) celebrates with Iranian coach Mahruz Saei after winning the women's 49-kilogram taekwondo bronze-medal match against Saudi Arabia's Dunya Ali M Abutaleb on August 7.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-0db2-08dcb781e744_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Iran's Mobina Nematzadeh (right) celebrates with Iranian coach Mahruz Saei after winning the women's 49-kilogram taekwondo bronze-medal match against Saudi Arabia's Dunya Ali M Abutaleb on August 7.
![Michaela Valentina Cambei of Romania competes during the women's 49-kilogram weightlifting event to win a silver medal on August 7.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-13e1-08dcb781e744_cx0_cy10_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Michaela Valentina Cambei of Romania competes during the women's 49-kilogram weightlifting event to win a silver medal on August 7.
![Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan celebrates with his national flag after winning gold in the men's javelin competition as he stands next to a screen displaying his new Olympic record on August 8.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-315b-08dcb843737e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan celebrates with his national flag after winning gold in the men's javelin competition as he stands next to a screen displaying his new Olympic record on August 8.
![Fans turn our to welcome to the Armenian men's gymnastics team at Zvartnots airport after their return from the Olympic Games on August 8. Armenia took home a silver and bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling and a silver medal in artistic gymnastics.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-b495-08dcb7a356fd_w1024_q10_s.png)
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Fans turn our to welcome to the Armenian men's gymnastics team at Zvartnots airport after their return from the Olympic Games on August 8. Armenia took home a silver and bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling and a silver medal in artistic gymnastics.