Ilona Maher Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
One surefire way to stand out among the 10,000 or so athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics is by winning a medal or three, but others are getting attention by becoming total TikTok legends instead — or, in many cases, as well!
We vividly recall a time when we didn’t know much about the personalities of athletes. They would show up, win some medals and then usually give very little away in any post-performance interviews before disappearing into relative obscurity until their next big game or season. That’s one reason why athletes, whether runners, tennis players, football stars or gymnasts, often have a reputation for being a little serious; so committed to their sport of choice that they don’t seem to have much else to talk about — until Paris, that is.
TikTok has proven the most talented athletes in the world are largely fun, sassy, creative and hilarious too — they just needed a platform to show Us! With a lot of time to kill in the Olympic Village between professional commitments, many of the global athletes who’ve traveled to Paris for the games have become insanely good content creators across TikTok and Instagram.
In hindsight, it makes total sense: most of the athletes are Gen Z-ers or younger millennials who’ve grown up comfortable with social media. These guys know lip-syncing some trending audio or filming a “get ready with me” video is a great way to show that there’s more to them than just being really mind-blowingly good at their sport.
@simonebilesowens aayyyyeeee team final lets get it !!!!!
♬ Where Them Girls At – Megan Thee Stallion
Plus, it’s fun! They can’t go out partying every night, so making entertaining content is a better way to pass the time and let off steam than, say, Scrabble.
@sunisalee_ 😭🥲🥲
♬ Star Spangled (Bass Boosted) – SNC
What might seem frivolous also has a purpose, because it actually makes all the sports more interesting too and could inspire a whole new generation of kids to pursue their athletic passions. How many American women were engaged with rugby before Ilona Maher came along?
Mike Coppola/Getty Images Olympian Ilona Maher has made an impression for her rugby talent and for her hot takes online. Maher, 27, started playing rugby in high school before making a name for herself as a collegiate athlete. She eventually caught the attention of coaches Richie Walker and Emilie Bydwell, who chose her to join […]
The 27-year-old rugby union star from Vermont helped Team USA take bronze in the games, but she admits that social media is basically her second job: she has 3.3 million followers on Instagram, another 2.2 million on TikTok and has been churning out insanely funny videos and photos throughout the games, from her quest to find love in the Olympic Village to stuffing her face with a giant croissant — all while looking way sexier and more glamorous than we might have imagined a rugby player. Suddenly, a sport that swathes of the population knew nothing about has become kind of cool. Let’s face it, we all want to be her now.
@ilonamaher Hectic but so fun
♬ original sound – gagasfamemonster
Even the most famous and medal-laden athletes at the games have found time to document their experiences via social media too: Team USA gymnasts like Simone Biles, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles have all been putting together skits and offering behind-the-scenes glimpses of life in the Olympic Village that, once again, make the life of a professional athlete look way more fun than we imagined, as well as winning us over with all their team camaraderie, humor and spirit.
@jordanchiles We are olymoic gold medalist ahhhhhhhh!!! @suni #parisolympics #2024
♬ Cognac Queen – Megan Thee Stallion
Without TikTok and Instagram, fans also probably wouldn’t know much about the cardboard beds the athletes have to sleep on or the chocolate muffins that they’ve all been eagerly devouring.
@tomdaley CARBOARD BEDS IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE! #paris2024 #olympics
♬ original sound – Tom Daley
@henrikchristians1 When bae is looking like a snack #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins @Olympics @paris2024
♬ original sound – mywatchhistory
No one would have spent so much time gasping over the incredible floating Olympic Village housing the watersports athletes who are in Tahiti.
@saffivette Welcome to our Olympic Villa 🤪 @Tim Elter @Billy stairmand #olympics #olympictok #travel #surfing #paris2024 #tahiti
♬ original sound – Saffi Vette
Of course, where there’s TikTok and Gen Z there’s dancing too. These athletes might be busy, but it doesn’t mean that Charli XCX’s “Apple” dance trend has passed them by; quite a few teams from around the world have been giving it their best shot in between competition rounds.
@tatumstewart An apple dance a day keeps the doctor away in the village! 💚🍏 #olympics #athlete #paris #sport #hockey #fieldhockey #australia @Australian Olympic Team @Dasha & Tofu @Hockeyroo – AL
♬ Apple – Charli xcx
It turns out TikTok are Instagram are basically giving us the Olympics reality show we didn’t know we needed — and we’re really going to miss it when it’s over!
