Athletes Stick Around Paris Games to Watch Other Sports and Get the Full Olympic Experience

Taylor Knibb, left, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey and Seth Rider, right, of the United States, jump as they hold their medals at the end of the medal ceremony for the mixed relay triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Taylor Knibb, left, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey and Seth Rider, right, of the United States, jump as they hold their medals at the end of the medal ceremony for the mixed relay triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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Athletes Stick Around Paris Games to Watch Other Sports and Get the Full Olympic Experience

Taylor Knibb, left, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey and Seth Rider, right, of the United States, jump as they hold their medals at the end of the medal ceremony for the mixed relay triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Taylor Knibb, left, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey and Seth Rider, right, of the United States, jump as they hold their medals at the end of the medal ceremony for the mixed relay triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

For many athletes at the Paris Olympics, the fun was just beginning after they were done competing.
During the second full week of the 2024 Olympics, going home wasn't an option. Now that the pressure of having to compete is gone, it was time to become a fan: Enjoy Paris and watch other sports.
“I’m a huge track fan,” said triathlete Morgan Pearson, who won the silver medal with the US team in the mixed relay on Monday. “I hope to go to some of those races. I’m a huge Olympic fan in general.”
American sport climber Zach Hammer, who was finished competing on Tuesday, also was headed to the track, The Associated Press reported.
“I would definitely be excited to watch the men’s 200(-meter) with (Noah) Lyles. He’s one of my favorite athletes,” he said. “I’m definitely excited to get the full Olympic experience, and I’ll go watch whatever there is to watch. It will definitely be cool to see Americans competing on the biggest stage.”
US rower Jacob Plihal was among those who stayed in town after competing during the first week.
“Hopefully I can watch a little handball if that’s still going, maybe 3x3 basketball," he said. “I don’t know what the schedules are. I’ve been focused on the racing but I’m excited to stick around and watch other sports, cheer Team USA on and get to know some athletes at the (Olympic) Village.”
Another American sport climber, Sam Watson, who broke the speed world record in an elimination heat on Tuesday, was making the most out of his stay at the village. He was challenging fellow athletes to chess games and trying to get selfies with a member of every delegation at the Games.
Some of the American women rowers who competed last week were at the women's basketball game between the US and Nigeria on Wednesday.
Molly Thompson-Smith, a British sport climber, was interested in watching some of the other smaller sports that don’t often get much attention. She said “it’s been really cool to kind of learn how they work and all the weird things about them.”
Thompson-Smith added that she "did see a bit of beach volleyball,” but “I think everyone wants to see the athletics, just to see something like that and feel the atmosphere of the crowd would be incredible. But I’m open to seeing anything now ... I’m here to make as many memories and see as much as I possibly can.”
Rower Viktorija Senkute, who won Lithuania’s first medal at the Games last week, was sticking around to watch her boyfriend, Simonas Maldonis, compete in canoe sprint.
Athletes can watch their own discipline with their accreditation, but need tickets for other sports. Some said they can get them through their national Olympic committees, or with the International Olympic Committee, which gives each athlete one free ticket per day.
There was an additional Olympic experience for athletes this time in Paris, as for the first time in the Summer Games organizers gave them a place to be closer to fans and celebrate their medals. In the new Champions Park, athletes got a chance to parade with their medals and interact with fans.
“I feel as if this year they’ve done a really good job of treating after winning athletes with memories that we’re going to cherish forever,” French rugby player Aaron Grandidier Nkanang said after going to the Champions Park. “We’re just in front of the Eiffel Tower, and there’s thousands of people out to come and cheer us on.”



Vardy Scores Landmark Goal for Leicester in Final Game for Club

Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Ipswich Town - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - May 18, 2025 Leicester City's Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring their first goal with Leicester City's Kasey McAteer. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Ipswich Town - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - May 18, 2025 Leicester City's Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring their first goal with Leicester City's Kasey McAteer. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Vardy Scores Landmark Goal for Leicester in Final Game for Club

Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Ipswich Town - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - May 18, 2025 Leicester City's Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring their first goal with Leicester City's Kasey McAteer. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Ipswich Town - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - May 18, 2025 Leicester City's Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring their first goal with Leicester City's Kasey McAteer. (Action Images via Reuters)

Jamie Vardy marked his 500th and final match for Leicester with a farewell goal — his 200th for the club he has represented for exactly 13 years.

The 38-year-old striker scored in the 28th minute to put Leicester 1-0 ahead against Ipswich at King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.

Vardy ran to the corner flag, pulled it out and raised it aloft before being mobbed by his teammates.

Grabbing a landmark goal is a fitting way to go out for Vardy, a player Leicester has described as its “greatest ever” after he famously helped the team to win the Premier League title in 2016 at preseason odds of 5,000-1. In that title-winning campaign, he netted in a record 11 straight games to inspire one of the great underdog stories in sporting history.

Vardy is still going strong, scoring nine times in this campaign to back up his assertion that he can still play at the highest level. It hasn't been announced where he will play next.

Leicester still has another league game left after that — at Bournemouth on May 25 in the Premier League's final round — but Vardy’s last appearance for the team will be against Ipswich.

Vardy joined Leicester from non-league team Fleetwood Town for 1 million pounds (now $1.33 million) in May 2012 — exactly 13 years ago.