By: Shira Black

June 26 - August 2

If you haven’t been glued to nonstop Olympics coverage (Gold Zone anyone?) the way I have, you’ll want to strap into this heartwarming and genuinely heart-pounding roller coaster ride that was Week One of the Paris Olympics.

I’d be remiss not to start by highlighting the phenomenal 21 American athletes who have won a total of nine golds (hello icons Simone Biles and Lee Kiefer with two each!) in these first seven days, with many more to come, especially as track & field competition gets underway.

Tweet-Worthy Performances

Performances that had me running to Twitter for all of the content immediately

🤸‍♀️W GYMNASTICS

The artistic gymnastics team and individual-all around took place over the past week, with plenty of buzz generated over the forever awe-inspiring Simone Biles and company. Biles and her Golden Girls dominated during their Redemption Tour, winning gold and then immediately planning out champion-worthy TikToks and clever captions.

🤸M GYMNASTICS

America’s newest (and nerdiest) sweetheart, Stephen Nedoroscik, found his place across all social media on Monday following his impeccable pommel horse performance, but more importantly, his Clark Kent-esque demeanor, Rubik’s Cube obsession (8.7-second record?!) and major pre-event visualization activities. But we cannot forget about Nedoroscik’s four now-bronze-winning teammates, who each competed in four or five events (of six) and brought the US Men’s Gymnastics Team their first medal in sixteen years.

🏊SWIMMING

Outside the e-coli-infused water, Katie Ledecky won by what seemed like three miles, reminding Twitter users that when she enters the pool for a long swim, she leaves even the best swimmers in the world in her wake, making life difficult for the cameraperson whose job it is to fit her in frame with her competitors. Ledecky collected her thirteenth medal, making her the most decorated female athlete in Olympic history—just another day in the life of the water GOAT.

🔫SHOOTING

Twitter was also wholly struck by Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec, who stood alongside fully-equipped competitors (lenses, eye protection, ear cover, etc.) in nothing but a T-shirt, sweats and glasses, earning immediate hitman allegations. He and teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan brought home second place, Turkey’s second Olympic medal thus far.

🧁BONUS

I also feel compelled to highlight the story of chocolate muffin connoisseur (and Norwegian Olympic swimmer) Henrik Christiansen. To date, the Olympian has made 12 equally hilarious TikToks about the now-infamous Olympic Village chocolate muffins, making us average joes increasingly jealous. We’ll see if his muffin promotion expertise matches his swimming prowess today as he competes in the 1500m freestyle.

Ball’s in the Air

The USA team ball sports we know and love are underway (but not finished yet!)

While I love how the Olympics spotlights niche sports, I need to occasionally check in on my favorite famous team sports. Fortunately, for those who have been more focused on canoe slalom and modern pentathlon, Team USA ball sports are working out in a typical fashion.

🏀BASKETBALL

In basketball news, neither 5x5 team has struggled in the group phase, with a combined (men and women) 82-point differential in four games. The knockout rounds, also known as the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games, will begin next week.

⚽SOCCER

Soccer is a different story. The women have been putting on absolute masterclasses (pink-haired Olympians on top), racking up nine points (three for each win) to date. The men, making their first Olympics since 2008, struggled in their first game against host-nation France but made it to the knockout round. However, they were defeated in their quarter-final matchup against Morocco, knocking them out of the tournament.

🤽WATER POLO

Flavor Flav’s women’s water polo team has had a strong showing thus far, going 3-1 to find themselves in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The men’s team has had a slightly weaker showing, going 1-2 with two games to go, making the quarterfinals possible but not guaranteed, as only the top four teams from each of the two groups advance. If anything, though, this full-pool buzzer beater from the US goalkeeper will be on my mind for days.

🏉RUGBY SEVENS

Social media Hall of Famer Ilona Maher and her team of muscle goddesses made history as they brought home the team’s very first Olympic medal with arguably one of the most exhilarating finishes to any event this year. As the clock ticked down, Alex "Spiff" Sedrick made an 85-meter breakaway run from try zone to try zone to come from behind to win the match and the bronze. Alongside new rugby superfan Jason Kelce, I am obsessed with this sport and have major plans to watch it into the non-Olympics season.

See you next week for some more action-packed coverage of Week Two!

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Paris Olympics: Week 1 Recap