A Picture Tells A Thousand Words
This week’s post is a light and fun one. I’m sure most of you watched at least one or two nights of the Summer Olympics from Paris. My wife and I watched a couple of events from a bar in Grand Lake. There were numerous heart-warming stories about winners and losers during the two-week world event. Of course my favorite part of the Olympics is watching the winners become emotional on the winner’s podium as their country’s anthem is played. Anyway, this week I’d like you to check out CNN’s “Best Photos of the Paris Olympics.” Click HERE to view them. In your reply copy and paste your favorite photo and tell us why you liked so much.
I chose this picture of long jumper Tara Woodhall because it is a great picture plus, I follow her and her husband’s story. This picture in general is overall very well done and catches a moment when Tara makes a sand angel following the realization she just won gold. The smile on her face shows it all and the sand angel shows her child like excitement from such an incredible achievement. You also see in the picture how built she is. Her defined muscles and lean stature show the countless hours of dedication and hard work she has but in to get to this point. A large reason that I picked this picture is the fact that I love her and her husband, Hunter, as people and as a couple. Her husband is a gold medal recipient in the Paralympics track and field, and they are constantly seen supporting each other. I watch a lot of the videos they create together, and I love seeing the love they have for each other and the immense dedication they each have to their sports. I just see her and how happy she is and can’t help but smile after watching countless of their videos for many months now. I think both her and her husband are incredible examples of love seeing no diversity. Hunter is a white male who lost both of his legs at a very young age and Tara is a black woman. Both successful and in love with each other and I just think it’s beautiful.
I was unable to get the picture to paste in the text box for some reason, regardless of what I tried, so here is the link that takes you directly to the picture I selected.
https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-2165917868.jpg?q=w_1480,c_fill
I really like this picture of Spain’s rhythmic gymnastics team. As a child, I did gymnastics for multiple years. I am also a dancer, so I can appreciate the artistry of this picture. The gymnasts are incredibly strong, and it takes so much precision to make this picture look as effortless as it does. I did not watch any of the Olympics this year, but I can still appreciate the talent and hard work that I observe in this picture.
I also could not get the picture to paste in the text box, so here is the link to the picture. Hopefully it works.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fsport%2Flive-news%2Fparis-olympics-news-2024-08-09%2Findex.html&psig=AOvVaw1BxSkf_pQTRpwClxlkqDrO&ust=1727794251608000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCNDr7KX16ogDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
I chose the picture of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wearing a tiara with the American flag wrapped around her following her gold medal finish in the 400-meter hurdles. I have been following Sydney’s journey since she made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, at just 16 years old. As a hurdler in high school myself (though nothing close to as talented as Sydney), I had always appreciated her speed and skill in the sport of track and field. I think this picture is especially neat because she beat her own world record. I think it is amazing that she is so talented and literally in a league of her own, with her biggest competition being herself. She is definitely an inspiration to me and I’m sure many other young women.
Here is the link to the photo from CNN’s “Best Photos of the Paris Olympics”:
https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-2165919359.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill
I chose the picture of Noah Lyles carrying the American flag right after he had just one gold on the 100-meter dash. I did not get to watch much of the Olympics but what I did watch he was one of them that I remember. The race was as close to a photo finish as I have ever seen before. I also thought it was cool to see the USA win gold in that event because it was the first gold medal in twenty years. I love looking at all the champions’ faces when they find out that they won gold. It is pure excitement, joy, and happy tears.
Here is the link to the photo from CNN’s “Best Photos of the Paris Olympics”:
https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gall01-dle01-gettyimages-2165276411-jpg-jpg.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill
I saw this race. The photo finish was crazy!
The picture I chose was Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting reacts after receiving the gold medal for her victory in the women’s featherweight boxing final on August 10. The reason I chose this is because you can see her not being able to hold back from crying, showing her emotions and how hard she had worked. It also demonstrates how proud she is to have won the gold. I think she’s almost in disbelief that she won! (I couldn’t get a link to post or a picture)
I watched some of the Olympics with my grandparents this summer but my main focus was mens Olympic basketball just because I watch the NBA, mostly the Denver Nuggets. I watched Serbia vs USA because Jokic who is on the Denver Nuggets was on the Serbia team so I automatically had to watch. But also because they were playing USA. Although I wished there was a picture of just Jokic, my favorite one would be Steph Curry celebrating with his signature that he does- “night night” He played very well towards the end of the game finishing with 24 points and made 8/13 threes. Team USA has won 5 Olympic titles in a row!
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My favorite picture was of Lukas Maetens from Germany lying back on the lane line after winning his race. I was a lifeguard for many years, so I understand how exhausting swimming can be. I used to have to swim 300 meters quite frequently, which is kind of similar to the 400 meters that Lukas Maetens was swimming. However, I have never swam competitively, and I am sure my time never even came close to Lukas Maetens. After swimming, I would grab the lane line and lay my head back on it to help me stay afloat. If I needed a break after slowly swimming 300 meters, I am sure Lukas Maetens needed one after winning the 400-meter-freestyle race. Overall, this picture is my favorite because it made me laugh.
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This pic cracks me up, but I am NOT a good swimmer so you description makes me like it even more!
The photo that spoke to me the most was of the Eiffel Tower with a light beam shining at a crescent moon. My wife and I are moon gazers and our life has us traveling apart often. When we are apart the moon is one thing we can both see while talking on the phone at the end of the day. It makes us feel just a little closer to one another on harder days. I am currently the furthest I have been from her and at the end of this trip it will be the longest we will have been apart since meeting. The beauty and isolation in the photo also speak to my current status. Each day is one day closer to me going home.
I am captivated by the photo of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wearing a tiara, wrapped in the US flag. Looking at images of black females in media it is often of power and strength. And while this photo is certainly that, it also portrays her as a princess, something typically associated with all things proper and refined. I love that this image is a juxtaposition of black femininity in a United States culture that does not typically see women of color as holding much value. This is a beautiful picture of a beautiful young woman. When I see photos such as these, it reminds me that there is a much bigger world than we understand.
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Ah, I saw this one-nice
The 2024 Summer Olympics is an international, multi-sport event that was held in Paris in 2024. Moreover, one of my favorite moments from the Paris Olympics is the photo of Naya Tapper, Alev Kelter, and Kayla Canett celebrating their winning of the bronze medal in rugby sevens, especially after their team had finished the season by defeating Australia. As such, this picture significantly resonated with me as it marks a historic win in the first Olympic medal for the United States in rugby. Additionally, in the photo, the raw emotion of these athletes winning is made evident as they are huddled around each other and crying tears of joy. Likewise, it showcases the dedication and talent of these athletes, and how even though a lot of athletes typically consider a win enjoyable if it is a gold medal, you can see how proud and excited they are that their teamwork paid off. Ultimately, this picture significantly stood out, as it’s not just a victory for the team, but is also a significant milestone for rugby in the U.S., making it a moment that these athletes, and people in the United States, will always cherish. Not to mention, it highlights the growing support for women’s sports.
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This is an emotional picture.
My favorite picture is the one where Manizha Talash, who is representing the Refugee Team at the Olympics, is wearing a cap that says ”Free Afghan Women”. I think that the story of Manizha is a reminder that women can achieve their dreams and make a positive impact on the world, no matter where they come from or what challenges they face, and obviously her actions have inspired many women to stand up for their rights and fight for their freedom, especially in Afghanistan where women are strongly repressed. I truly admire Manizha because she has shown immense courage in pursuing her passion for breakdancing, despite the fact that it is considered a crime in Afghanistan. She has been so brave in speaking out against the Taliban’s oppressive regime and advocating for women’s rights, I hope more people can help her spread her message and finally women in these countries can have more freedoms.
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After scrolling through the photos, I decided to write about the Cuban wrestler Mijaín López. As a mother of a wrestler, I know from my own experience the time and commit my own son put in to be the wrestler he was before an injury ended his wrestling career. Doing some research Mijaín has been wrestling since he was ten years old. I didn’t know that when a wrestler leaves his shoes on the wrestling mat that marks the end of their career. I can only the imagine the mixed emotions he must have felt has he publicly announced his retirement after 32 years and five Olympic gold medals.
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Picture of Manizha Talash caught my attention. I wanted to look into the story behind the captured moment. Turns out Manizha sought asylum in Spain in 2021. Her situation relates to our class, social inequality, in Manizha’s case – gender inequality, that she is speaking about through her cape that she wore at the pre-qualifiers, after which she was disqualified from the Games. Many women are oppressed throughout the world. In some countries gender inequality is more pronounced than in others. Afghanistan is one of them. As I learn more and more from our class, there are a lot of factors that play a role for the reasons behind gender inequality. The process to reverse it is slow in Afghanistan but it is existent.
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My favorite picture from the Paris Olympics is the U.S athletes that are celebrating at the closing ceremony. This picture was very heartfelt and it shows how all of their different athletes come together to celebrate each other and their accomplishments. I love to see the different athletes that come from different backgrounds support each other whether they win or lose. And while watching the Olympics you can see that with any of the teams. I think all the pictures that were posted all tell their own story and I had a hard time choosing which one was my favorite!
I found this photo of Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim. He is competing in high jump, and this picture shows his dedication to that sport. He is absolutely laying out for that medal, and it looks like it’s going to be a painful landing even with the pad. I think this photo shows the dedication and determination these athletes compete with at the Olympics. Even the worst athlete is still a world class competitor, and I think a lot of people forget that. Even if they miss the podium, they still have spent thousands of hours, countless years, and thousands of dollars to get themselves to this point. Watching the Olympics I think some people believe that the sports are super easy and can be super critical of athletes that make small mistakes. Overall, I thought it was a brilliant photo showing the athletic ability and determination of Mutaz and represents the Olympics perfectly.
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