ISLAMABAD: Paris prepared to bid a triumphant “au revoir” to the Olympics on Sunday as the curtain came down on its widely praised staging of the global sporting spectacular.
A star-studded closing ceremony got underway in front of around 71,500 spectators at the Stade de France to crown an event broadly acclaimed as one of the greatest editions of the Olympics ever held.
Around 270 artists and performers were scheduled to perform in the packed arena with an estimated 9,000 athletes expected to march into the venue.
The opening segment of the ceremony festivities began with France’s swimming hero Leon Marchand — winner of four gold medals at these Games — gathering the Olympic flame from the cauldron in the centre of Paris to begin its journey to the Stade de France.
The glittering closing spectacle marks the beginning of the four-year countdown to the Los Angeles Olympics, with Hollywood star Tom Cruise expected to feature in a segment previewing the 2028 Games in California.
The ceremony is the final act of 17 days of frequently breathtaking sporting action set against the backdrop of iconic Parisian landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to the Chateau de Versailles.
The last day of sporting action saw the United States pip China for the top spot in the battle for medals after the US women’s basketball team squeezed past France 67-66 to clinch the last gold of the Games.
The win — the eighth consecutive Olympic women’s basketball won by the USA — ensured the Americans finished level with China on 40 golds each as the games wrapped up.
The USA however finished on top of the overall medal table with a total of 126 medals, with China in second place on 91.
Sunday began with a gripping women’s marathon victory by the Netherlands’ long-distance running star Sifan Hassan.
Hassan had taken on what many considered a crazy gamble in Paris, competing in the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon — the last two events just two days apart.
But in a jaw-dropping sprint finish, Hassan overhauled Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa to take gold by three seconds in an Olympic record of 2hr 22min 55sec.
She fell to the ground on the blue carpet in front of the golden dome of the Invalides memorial complex in the heart of Paris before grabbing a Dutch flag to celebrate an extraordinary achievement.
“It was not easy,” said Hassan, 31. “It was so hot, but I was feeling OK. I’ve never pushed myself to the finish line as I did today.”
“Every moment in the race I was regretting that I ran the 5,000m and 10,000m. I was telling myself if I hadn’t done that, I would feel great today.”
“From the beginning to the end, it was so hard. Every step of the way. I was thinking, ‘Why did I do that? What is wrong with me?’”
Hassan is due to be presented with her gold medal in Sunday’s closing ceremony.
Wrestling, weightlifting, water polo, volleyball, modern pentathlon, handball, and track cycling were the other sports to crown Olympic champions on the last day.
Hungary’s Michelle Gulyas ran and shot to Olympic gold in the modern pentathlon, with home favourite Elodie Clouvel roared on to clinch silver.
In weightlifting, China’s jubilant Li Wenwen lifted her coach into the air instead of the bar, having already secured gold.
At the velodrome, Dutch star Harrie Lavreysen surged to the men’s keirin for his third gold of the Games, ending British dominance of the event they had won at every Olympics since 2008.
New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews blasted to the women’s sprint title to add to her keirin gold, while American cyclist Jennifer Valente won the women’s omnium.
In men’s water polo, Serbia won their third straight Olympic gold with a 13-11 victory over Croatia at La Defense Arena and pulled their coach into the pool in the celebrations.