Olympic moments that captured the imagination

The Olympics is over, and while the medal winners will be remembered for their athletic feats, plenty of other moments captured the hearts of those watching. 

From rapper Snoop Dogg trying his hand at just about every sport to a Norwegian swimmer's love affair with chocolate muffins – here is a list of moments that captured the spirit of the Olympics.

One of the earliest viral moments from the Paris Olympics came during the 10m mixed-team air pistol event. 

An image of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who won silver alongside Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, quickly began to trend online.

Unlike many of his fellow competitors Dikec opted not to wear high gear, donning simple ear plugs and his normal glasses.

The 51-year-old stood in a nonchalant pose, his non–shooting hand tucked in his pocket.

People quickly started calling him a retired "hitman" competing at the Olympics. He was photoshopped into scenes from Pulp Fiction and the Western video game Red Dead Redemption II poster.

South Korean shooter Kim Ye-ji also went viral for her cool demeanour and pose during her silver medal effort in the women's 10-metre air pistol.

Her style earned her the nickname of the "smiling assassin" back home.

Another popular moment came during the men's team gymnastics when Team USA's Stephen Nedoroscik was waiting for his turn on the pommel horse— his speciality.

Olympics fans became even more obsessed with Nedoroscik after discovering he solved a Rubik's Cube in less than 10 seconds while in Paris. 

After he won two bronze medals in the team and individual pommel horse events, the internet started comparing him to Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent.

"He just sits there until he's activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years," one user wrote on X. 

Following his medal wins, Nedoroscik's girlfriend changed her profile on X to 'Ms Pommel Horse'.

New Zealand athletes weren't spared from heartwarming moments at the Olympics either.

Both men fell to the ground after Kiwi triathlete Hayden Wilde crossed the line behind Team GB's Alex Yee after a thrilling battle for victory.

Wilde then put his hand around Yee's shoulder, and the two shared a moment – celebrating their success after a gruelling triathlon.

“You’re a f**king legend,” Wilde told Yee after the race.

"I slapped him on the ass and gave him the kudos he needed. He did a fantastic job. I told him how it is."

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen also went viral, not for his competitive feats but his antics at the Olympic Village.

During the games, he posted food reviews of all the meals he ate at the village, with his clear favourite being the chocolate muffins.

He rated them an 11/10, calling them "insane".

He then posted a series of TikToks about the chocolate muffins – one showing his bedside table drawer filled with dozens.

While failing to win a medal, Christiansen left the games with a new nickname: "The Muffin Man."

Rapper Snoop Dogg went to Paris as the mascot for the US TV network NBC and appeared at just about every event. 

The Doggfather of rap wore a complete dressage kit while watching the equestrian. His freestyle rap over a horse's routine also had viewers bobbing their heads. 

While standing on the podium after winning silver in the women's beam, Zhou Yaqin looked to her right and noticed Italy's Alice D'Amato and Manila Esposito taking a bite out of their medals. 

After looking away, Yaqin followed suit, putting the medal to her lips and smiling. 

After going viral, the moment was quickly labelled the most "adorable" moment of the games.

History was made in gymnastics when Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and the USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles made the first all-Black gymnastics podium in history.

Biles and Chiles, who won silver and bronze respectively, bowed to gold medallist Andrade.

Biles called it the "right thing to do".

Unfortunately, the podium itself didn't stand. Chiles was later asked to hand back her bronze following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that voided an on-floor appeal.

On the other side of the world from Paris the Olympic surfing competition took place in Tahiti.

French photographer Jerome Brouilet captured an amazing photo of bronze medallist Gabriel Medina from Brazil, who seemed to float in the air while his surfboard trailed behind him.