Paris 2024 in review - Keely Hodgkinson, Tom Pidcock and Alex Yee made it an Olympic Games to remember for Team GB

Team GB recorded one of its best-ever Olympic medal hauls, securing 14 golds, 22 silvers and 29 bronzes over 16 days of action to beat its total from Tokyo 2020 and equal London 2012. From Alex Yee's last-minute lunge, Keely Hodgkinson's 800m mastery, and missed opportunities in the pool and on the athletics track, we take a look back at GB's biggest Paris 2024 moments.

Hodgkinson celebrates her first Olympic gold after emphatic 800m victory

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Team GB has had one of its most successful Olympic Games ever, winning 65 medals across two weeks of action at Paris 2024.

The medal rush started on the opening morning of the games, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson claiming bronze in the women's 3m synchronised springboard.

They didn't let up until the very last minute either - Emma Finucane and Emily Campbell adding bronzes in the velodrome and weightlifting competitions respectively.

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But amid the 14 golds, 22 silvers and 29 bronzes across 16 days of sport, how does Paris 2024 rank for Team GB? And will the British Olympic Association view its performance in the French capital as a job well done or see that there's room for improvement ahead of the next Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028?

When it comes to hard numbers, the medal haul eclipses that achieved by the team in Tokyo 2020 by one, equals London 2012 and is two shy of Rio 2016 - which was the team's best Olympic Games in more than a century.

Behind the numbers, though, it's been an Olympics full of inspirational stories and the occasional heartbreaking moment from the team's 327 athletes.

From last-minute lunges to the line, dominant performances and jaw-dropping world records, here are the highs and lows of Team GB's Paris 2024.

Highs

Yee leaves it late

‘Back in British hands’ – Yee musters stunning comeback to win triathlon gold

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After his silver at Tokyo 2020, it looked like Alex Yee had left it too little too late to upgrade his men’s individual triathlon medal to gold when he trailed New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde by 15” with 5km to go. But the 26-year-old Londoner had other ideas, finding a second wind within the last kilometre to catch and pass the Kiwi with less than 200m to go in a race for the ages.

His gold contributed to Great Britain's three medal haul in the triathlon (along with Beth Potter’s bronze in the women’s individual, and bronze in the mixed relay), which saw them lead the discipline’s table.

Pidcock’s gold medal move

Paris Golden Moments: Pidcock pulls off stunning last-lap overtake to storm home

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Reigning Olympic champion Tom Pidcock took to the Elancourt mountain bike race course with one result in mind, and wasn’t going to let anyone stand between him and another gold medal. After a mid-race puncture saw him lose 30 seconds on Frenchman Victor Koretzky, the 25-year-old clawed his way back to the front.

But with the home favourite leading in the race’s final stages and passing positions running out, the Yorkshireman had to get creative. Diving up the inside at a fork in the singletrack, it was a move straight out of Formula One, and left Koretzky with no alternative but to concede the lead. Soloing to the line, the multi-discipline two-wheel master became the first man to retain his title since France’s Julien Absalon.

Rowing resurgence

‘The ghosts of Tokyo exorcised!’ - Craig & Grant strike gold as Team GB rowing excellence continues

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Having dominated rowing at three consecutive Olympic Games from Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016, Team GB’s haul of one silver and one bronze at Tokyo 2020 sent shockwaves through the sport. All eyes were on the team ahead of Paris 2024 to see if the results from three years ago were a temporary blip, and they more than answered their critics. Golds in the women’s quadruple sculls, lightweight women’s double sculls and the men’s eight were complimented by two silver and three bronze medals, with only the Netherlands above Team GB in the rankings.

Hales shoots to gold and new Olympic record

'Destroys that target' - Hales sets Olympic record to gun down Britain's third gold medal

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While China dominated the overall shooting competition, there was a golden lining for Team GB’s Nathan Hales. The 28-year-old had shown his sharp shooting skills in the qualifiers, hitting 123 out of 125 clays, and took this form into the final where he again only dropped two shots to finish on an unassailable total.

The Brit was unable to match his world record of 49, but kept his cool with the win already in the bag to set a new Olympic record of 48.

Aldridge master of the kitesurfing waves

Watch wild celebrations for Team GB's Aldridge as she secures gold in kite final

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The Marseille Marina might be 800km south of the French capital, but Eleanor Aldridge lit up Paris 2024 with a dominant display in the first ever Olympic kitesurfing final. The 27-year-old recorded back-to-back wins in the final, taking advantage of home favourite Lauriane Nolot’s fall in the second race to claim victory on the south coast.

Queen Keely dominates 800m

Watch thrilling finish as Hodgkinson grabs gold for Team GB in 800m

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The silver medallist from Tokyo 2020 entered the 800m final as the woman to beat, and put in a dominant display that meant her victory was never in doubt. Taking the lead after 300m, the reigning European champion controlled the pace entering the home straight for the first time. When her rivals started ramping up the pressure on the final bend, Hodgkinson sprung a kick that no one could compete with, opening up a lead that allowed her to cross the line at a canter.

team sprint tears up world records

Watch enthralling finale as Team GB clinch glorious gold in team sprint final

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The first day of velodrome action saw Team GB set new world records as they progressed through the qualifying and first round to the women’s team sprint finals gold medal race.

Up against New Zealand, it was guaranteed that the trio of Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane would equal the team’s silver at last year’s world championships, but they weren’t finished yet. The Kiwis had the early edge, but Team GB were still getting warmed up, and ramped up the speed with every rotation of the pedal.

By the time Finucane was the final rider on track, the gold was in the bag, but could she make it a hat-trick of world records? Crossing the line at 45.186, the team shaved almost two-tenths of a second from their first-round time.

Equestrian excellence at the Palace of Versailles

Watch golden moment Brash completes team jumping gold for Britain

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Team GB continued their strong record in the equestrian competition, securing gold in team eventing and team jump, and bronzes in individual dressage, team dressage and individual eventing to finish second to Germany in the horse riding competition’s standings.

The highlight had to be the team jump though, which included team member Harry Charles, whose dad Peter won gold in the show jumping event at London 2012.

Teenager Toby Roberts’ climbing masterclass

Watch as Roberts' golden display brings fans to their feet - 'There are screams in the crowd!'

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The 14th and final victory for Team GB was also won by its youngest gold medallist at the games, 19-year-old Toby Roberts clinching a surprise top spot on the podium after a slip from world No. 1 Sorato Anraku.

The teenager’s gold in the men’s boulder and lead competition was the first ever Olympic climbing medal for Team GB, with the sport first introduced at Tokyo 2020.

Team Pursuit clinch 1000th Olympic medal

'Disaster for Great Britain' - Australia claim team pursuit gold as GB suffer 'shocker'

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While it was a somewhat disappointing medal haul on the velodrome given Team GB’s historic golden return in track cycling, one silver medal stood out more than most. The men’s Team Pursuit gold medal race itself was full of drama - Australia edging the contest with Ethan Hayter somehow staying on his bike after losing balance on the final lap. But the silver was also the team’s 1,000th medal in Olympic history.

Great Britain becomes only the third nation in 128 years of Olympic Games to have achieved the feat behind the United States and the Soviet Union.

Lowlights

Flat tyre leaves Tarling in tears

'It sucks, everyone put a lot of effort in' - Tarling devastated by puncture in time trial

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The men's individual time trial was one of the first medals up for grabs from the games, and Team GB's Josh Tarling looked like a shoe-in for a gong. The 20-year-old's ride got off to a flying start, but a puncture and bike change put a 30-second dent in his run that even he couldn't overcome.

The two-time British time trial champion crossed the line fourth, two seconds short of a podium and 27 seconds down on Remco Evenepoel's winning time - a ride he would have been confident of matching if it wasn't for his mechanical woes.

Medal confusion in the mixed-team triathlon

‘Incredible finish’ – Team GB bag mixed relay triathlon bronze after photo finish

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After Alex Yee's golden performance in the individual triathlon, all eyes were on Team GB as they attempted to defend their title from Tokyo 2020 in the mixed-team triathlon.

Sprinting for the line, final participant Beth Potter was involved in a photo finish with America's Taylor Knibb. Initially, the British quartet believed they had snatched second place and were told they had won silver. But it was later amended and downgraded to bronze by the smallest of margins.

Rutter denied gold by lack of VAR in skeet shoot-off

'I believe I hit that target' - Rutter reflects on shooting controversy after winning silver

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Amber Rutter was denied gold in the women's skeet shoot-off against Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid after the 26-year-old was penalised for a miss that she contested.

The final had gone to a shoot-off - a sudden death format where shooters alternate taking two shots each - when she was judged to have missed one of the clays, handing Chadid the victory.

Rutter contested the decision, believing she had clipped it, but with no video review system in place, the referee's decision was final.

Near misses see team gb slip to 7th in medal table

Watch GB take silver after 'terrible changeover' with USA winning gold in 4x100m relay

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While Team GB will be pleased at beating their medal haul from Tokyo 2020, there were a number of missed opportunities both for gold and also bronze which saw them slip from fourth to seventh in the overall standings.

Adam Peaty and Josh Kerr are two notable individuals who went into their respective events as the athletes to beat, while the women's 4 x 100m relay team were one smooth changeover from giving Team USA a real battle.

At the other end of the podium, there were a number of fourth-place finishes where Team GB would have been expecting a bronze as a minimum. Max Whitlock's men's gymnastics team were unable to give the four-time Olympian the perfect send-off, while the women's gymnastic team also narrowly missed out on a medal.

Reigning champions fall at first hurdle

Jones suffers shock defeat, Walkden left in tears

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There's no guarantee that gold at one Olympics is a dead cert for future success, but Team GB would have at least expected their reigning champions to be competitive.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for all athletes at Paris 2024. Charlotte Worthington was the first notable Tokyo 2020 gold medallist to fall, crashing out of the women's BMX Freestyle qualifiers, while double Olympic champion Jade Jones suffered a surprise defeat in the taekwondo, where she had an early exit in the first round.

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