'The Seine-sational Games': RayGun stuns, Tom Cruise dazzles in epic end to our greatest Olympics (2024)

• Scroll to the bottom of the page for a recap of the closing ceremony and all the action from the last day of competition.

Au revoir Paris, merci beaucoup!

What an Olympic Games! From a float down the Seine, to Tom Cruise rappelling off the roof of the Stade de France, the 2024 Games have been full of memories and moments.

And for Australia, those moments came thick and fast. Our best Games in history, 18 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze. Our best overseas haul of 53 medals, finishing fourth on the tally board overall. There was only one day out of the 17 where we didn't win a medal of some sort.

We cried alongside BMX rider Saya Sakakibara winning gold as a tribute to her family, we all wanted to adopt 14-year-old skateboader Arisa Trew, we flew over the bar with pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, kangaroo hopped with break dancer Raygun - who even gave an impromptu performance to the roars of her Australian teammates before the closing ceremony.

Perhaps Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet summed the Games up best with this description at the closing ceremony.

"[It was] heart-racing, head-spinning, screaming, crying, crazy love," he said.

"One day, life is normal, the next it feels magical. It's what we have felt since July 24."

"We knew you would be brilliant, but you were magic. The most difficult part of any love affair is saying goodbye, so of course we don't want it to end."

IOC President Thomas Bach added: "Despite all the tensions in our world, you made the City of Light shine brighter than ever before. Thank you for making us believe in a better world for everyone.

"Sensational Games from start to finish," he then said before adding: "Seine-sational."

It's been one of the most enjoyable Games ever. Australia loves a winner and we had plenty of them.

But these Games have been about more than that. There have been steps forward in terms of gender equality and sustainability. And Paris just looked great.

Cruise did his best to steal the show at an extraordinary au revoir to the Paris Olympics, descending from the top of the Stade de France on a cable to mark the handover of hosting duties to Los Angeles 2028.

Yet even Hollywood's biggest superstar must have known his splendid cameo at the closing ceremony couldn't possibly upstage the most magnifique of all Olympics.

For LA, it should be known - that's Mission Impossible.

But what a way to end two fantastic weeks in the French capital.

The 62-year-old's daredevil act on Sunday night was cheered to the rafters that he'd abseiled from by 80,000 cheering supporters, and thousands more of the world's best athletes who'd thronged to France's national stadium.

They included a huge contingent from Australia's record-breaking team, revelling one last time as they prepared to bring home a record 18 gold medals.

They were led by their flagbearers, 28-year-old repeat champion sailor Matt Wearn, who'd achieved his victory in the Marseille regatta, and double gold medallist from the pool, the great Kaylee McKeown.

And in the parade of champions there were a host of their other victors, including golden girl, double canoe slalom champion Jess Fox, later introduced as one of the new members of the IOC Athletes Commission.

The Aussies were in understandably buoyant mood, dancing on the track to 'Freed from Desire', amid the extraordinary sight of the world's best sportsmen and women bouncing up and down in unison to the Gala hit.

But after another spectacular son et lumiere show on the theme of Olympic records, fresh from the vivid imagination of creative director Thomas Jolly, whose opening ceremony had caused plenty of waves, the fun really only started properly when the handover to LA began.

Still, Cruise wasn't the biggest star of the night for the home audience, who broke into cheers and chants of "Leon, Leon!" when Paris 2024's equivalent of Cathy Freeman in 2000, golden swimmer Leon Marchand, turned up with the flame.

Now it's all done and dusted. But we'll always have Paris!

Day 15 - 'Do it for the little girl': Tearful motivation for Hull's silver; Stingers'incredible fight

Jessica Hull struggled to hold back the tears the moment she saw the message from her mum.

Attached was a picture of a 12-year-old Hull at state championships with the message: "Do it for this little girl tonight". So, inside Stade de France at the Olympic Games, she did just that.

Hull rallied to finish second and claim silver in the women's 1500m final behind one of the greatest of all time in Faith Kipyegon, with the Kenyan setting an Olympic record to win gold in 3:51.39, with Hull taking silver in 3:52.56.

There is no shame in losing to the greatest.

Hull is an Olympic silver medallist - the first Australian track athlete to win an Olympic medal since Sally Pearson hurdled her way to gold at the London Games 12 years ago - and we might just have to thank her mum for it.

"My mum, this morning, she sent me a photo of me at state little athletics," Hull said on Nine.

"I was probably 12, and she just said, 'Do it for this little girl tonight', and that's all I needed to hear from her. It brought me to tears a little bit, so I'm glad she sent it early on in the day so I could just have that moment and then recalibrate again.

"I hope that I'm the first of many middle-distance stars to come because it's a pretty special feeling."

Australia's silver medal-winning women's water polo team was pulling at a similar thread.

Bronte Halligan, the daughter of an NRL great who had her picture taken outside the Olympic opening ceremony as a little girl, smiled: "This morning, I woke up and I said to myself, 'play for little Bronte', do it for that little four-year old that fell in love with the Olympics. I just had the best time - and the only way I can describe it is joy."

The Stingers failed to emulate Australia's gold medal-winning class of 2000, meaning the 24-year wait for the biggest title in the sport goes on following an 11-9 loss to Spain in the final at La Defense Arena.

The frustration and heartbreak quickly turned to pride following a silver medal result after the Stingers were rocked by COVID-19 at the start of the tournament.

And on doing it for those little girls with an Olympic dream? There will be more to come.

Keesja Gofers, the oldest member of the team at 34, couldn't hold back the tears when she saw her baby daughter in the crowd.

"You know, there's more to come from this team," Gofers said. "It's exciting, Australia. Get behind us and watch this space, because the future is going to be exciting."