SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — They won their Olympic medals after making so many sacrifices and training for so many hours. Then came the fun part — celebrating with family and friends, even strangers.
Newly crowned athletics medalists went out to eat to toast their achievements. Some hit the dance floor while others took a dip in the pool. Some went straight to bed – too exhausted to go out – and some spent their time answering the hundreds of messages that came into their phones.
“I’ve never been so busy in my life as I have been in the last three months,” said Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis after defending his Olympic gold with a world record. “Now I’m just ready to eat a lot. The party is going to be pretty big.”
Cravings for chicken
Pole vault silver medalist Sam Kendricks was craving chicken from Popeyes fast food restaurant. The only problem was that it was late at night and the store was closed.
However, his friend Duplantis had some connections and called. A little later they were eating chicken wings.
“Best chicken ever. But I can’t just conjure up Popeyes. I’m not the world record holder,” Kendricks joked as he and his family partied into the wee hours at Puma House. “Mondo was still swimming and playing water polo until about 6.”
Dance the night away
After winning gold in the pole vault, Australian Nina Kennedy gave a series of media interviews. But by 3 a.m. she was finished and went straight to the dance club.
She danced and danced until the sun came up.
“One of the best nights of my life,” Kennedy said. “It was so much fun.”
Pizza Party
Mattia Furlani, the 19-year-old who won bronze in the long jump, celebrated like any good Italian – with pizza. He devoured a pizza Margherita (a cheese pizza).
It couldn’t be more Italian.
Julien Alfred, the sprinter from Saint Lucia who won gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m, was focused on one thing from the moment she received her second medal: “Unhealthy food,” she said.
“I’m not going to lie,” Alfred added. “Because I’ve been eating very healthily these past few days and I think I deserve it. A pizza… I’m really craving that.”
Your favorite toppings: ham and pineapple – Hawaiian style – or pepperoni.
Even the American pole vaulter Katie Moon opted for pizza and pasta with pepperoni despite being gluten intolerant. It was the only restaurant that was open at the time.
She and her family found a dive bar and settled into a back room to celebrate her silver medal.
She also drank a glass of wine.
“Everything,” said Moon, “tasted so good.”
come in
Alysha Newman and her family were looking for a restaurant after winning a bronze medal in the pole vault for Canada, but nothing was open at that hour.
They saw a pub just outside the Olympic Village that was about to close. However, the owner was watching the Olympics, recognized Newman by chance, and invited them in. Not only that, he cooked for their group of about 15 and stayed there until 4 a.m. They ate homemade pesto pasta with shrimp and mushrooms.
She drank a glass of red wine with it.
“It was great,” Newman said. “A really great environment.”
Burger time
At around two in the morning, American discus thrower Valarie Allman bit into the best burger she has ever eaten. She was accompanied by fries – and memories of defending her gold medal.
“It was perfect in the truest sense of the word,” she said.
The burger also had everything: cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles and sauce.
“It was exactly the right moment,” she said.
Off to bed
It has already been two long days for British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson. But after two hours of interviews and another two hours of doping tests, the silver medalist just wanted to return to the village and sleep.
“Pending,” Johnson-Thompson said of her celebration plans.
Toast with steak and tequila?
After winning the long jump title, American Tara Davis-Woodhall was hungry for a sirloin steak.
With that, “a tequila or something,” Davis-Woodhall said of her plans with her husband, Paralympic sprinter Hunter Woodhall.
Celebrate with – broccoli?
Not all athletes were looking for pizza, steak or burgers. Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, the American silver medalist in the hammer throw, had a healthier wish list: salmon and broccoli.
For dessert?
“Maybe some sour candies,” said Echikunwoke. “Sour candies make my stomach hurt, so I took it with a little restraint. But that doesn’t matter now.”
Popular Person
If answering congratulatory text messages were an Olympic event, Andy Diaz would be competing for another medal. The Cuban-born triple jumper, who took bronze on his debut for Italy, was busy all night answering his constantly ringing phone.
“Every time I take it out of my pocket,” Diaz said, “I have at least 100 messages.”
Silver is great, gold is better
Three years after his victory in the 400-meter hurdles, Norwegian Karsten Warholm won silver. He celebrated this in a small setting – with a glass of champagne – with family and friends.
“For me, silver isn’t something I’d get super drunk for,” said Warholm, the world record holder in that event. “You have to take in the moment and have a good time with the people who helped you get there. But it’s still not something I’m super celebrating.”
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Pat Graham and Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
