Hearing a crowd cheer your name at the Olympic Games is great and all, but it's nothing compared to the love and support of family members being on the scene to support all those years of intense training. Win or lose, professional athletes count on their parents,spouses, siblings, children, and other relations to show up for their life-changing appearance on the international stage.
Once all the adrenaline is gone, the competitors want to celebrate — or commiserate, depending on how they placed — with the individuals closest to them. The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have been no exception to that rule, as Olympians from all over the world have been encouraged by loved ones in the stands, and in some cases, have shared the exhilarationof taking home a coveted medal.
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Take a look at some of these heartwarming moments:
Auriane Mallo-Breton (Fencer; Team France)
Silver medallist France's Auriane Mallo-Breton holds her son Mathis after the medal ceremony for the women's epee individual competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Grand Palais in Paris, on July 27, 2024. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
Auriane Mallo-Breton, who took home a pair of silver medals for Women's Individual Epee(individual and team) at the 2024 Games, shared her victory with 3-year-old son, Mathis.Auriane comes from a family of accomplished athletes. Her two brothers, Axel and Robin, and father, Robin, are also fencers, while her husband, Jules Breton plays professional ice hockey.
Paulin Riva (Rugby; Team France)
Paulin Riva of Team France celebrates his gold medal with his daughter during the Men’s Rugby Sevens medal ceremony on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on July 27, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Fans come in all shapes and sizes, as Paulin Riva's young daughter proved when she "rushed" the field to celebrate her father's gold medal win for Men's Rugby Sevens. As People amusingly pointed out, the girl may become a fine rugby player in a few decades' time.
Caeleb Dressel (Swimmer; Team USA)
Gold Medalist, Caeleb Dressel of Team United States celebrates with his wife, Meghan Dressel (obscured), and his child, following the Medal Ceremony after the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Final on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Amidst all the excitement of winning a gold medal in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay, American swimmer Caeleb Dressel still remembered to shield his 5-month-old son, August Wilder, from the loud noises of the Olympic Games with a trusty pair of baby headphones. Dressel married his wife Meghan Haila, in 2021, with the couple welcoming their first child earlier this year.
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Adam Peaty (Swimmer; Team Great Britain)
Adam Peaty of Team Great Britain celebrates with his child and Holly Ramsay, Partner of Adam Peaty, following the Swimming medal ceremony after the Men’s 100m Breaststroke Final on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 28, 2024 in Nanterre, France. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
Adam Peaty, who tied for a silver medal with America's Nic Fink, was content to let his son, 4-year-old George-Anderson, smile for the cameras while father and son shared a tender moment next to the swimmer's partner, Holly Ramsay (daughter of celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay). Less than a day later after winning a medal, Peaty tested positive for COVID-19. He's okay, though!
Emma Hayes (Soccer manager; Team USA)
Emma Hayes, Head Coach of Team United States embraces her son Harry after the Women's group B match between United States and Germany during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille on July 28, 2024 in Marseille, France. Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Many kids would probably shy away from a motherly kiss on the cheek in a very public setting, but not young Harry here. The 6-year-old son of U.S. women's national soccer team manager Emma Hayes showed his support for the red, white, and blue crew with a simple face tattoo of the American flag and, of course, an adorable smile.
Estavana Polman (Handball player; Team Netherlands)
Estavana Polman of the Netherlands with her daughter looks on during the Women's Handball Group B match between France and Netherlands on Day 2 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at South Paris Arena 6 on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo: Henk Jan Dijks/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Image
No matter how heated the game gets, there's always time to spend a few moments with your kid on the sidelines. Here, you can see Estavana Polman taking a moment out of the Netherlands' handball match against France to hold her 6-year-old daughter, Jesslynn (born to Polman and former professional soccer playerRafael van der Vaart). "Everything is about our little girl now," Polman says on the Olympics website. "Sometimes when you lose, you are awake the whole night. Then you look at her in the bed and think: ‘Tomorrow we bring her to school again’.”
Tom Daley (Diver; Team Great Britain)
Debbie Daley, mother of Thomas Daley, Dustin Lance Black, husband of Thomas Daley, and their children are seen in attendance as they show their support ahead of the Men’s Synchronised 10m Platform Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
Tom Daley — who took home his fifth Olympic medal at the Paris Games, and found time to knit himself a sweater — got an extra boost in the water with the love and support of his family cheering him on from the stands: mother Debbie, husband Dustin Lance Black (Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk), and their two boys: Robbie and Phoenix. "Today has been magical,” Daley notes on the Olympics website. “Being able to compete in front of my family and to see them in the crowd and see them all get excited."
Novak Djokovic (Tennis player; Team Serbia)
Novak Djokovic's daughter, Tara Djokovic (L) and son, Stefan Djokovic support Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal of Team Spain during the Men's Singles second round match on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo: Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Even with knee-related issues at the forefront of his mind, Novak Djokovic can rest assured that his kids, daughter Tara, and son Stefan, will support him no matter what. The Serbian tennis player advanced to the semifinals after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
Don't Miss
No matter what you’re interested in, NBCU will have you covered during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Stay up to date with a comprehensiveschedule of events, including where to watch,andmedal count. And be sure to watch the Closing Ceremony Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peaco*ck.
Napheesa Collier (Basketball player; Team USA)
Napheesa Collier of the United States celebrates with her daughter after the women's basketball group C match between the United States and Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Lille, France, July 29, 2024 Photo: Meng Dingbo/Xinhua via Getty Images
Despite the fact that she's traveling most of the time for work, U.S. women's basketball star Napheesa Collier never wants to be too far from 2-year-old daughter, Mila. “We're on the road all the time, so whenever I can have her near me, I definitely take the opportunity,"the athlete told Olympics.com."But also to, for one, be surrounded by so many successful women. I think it’s really important, and to see how hard we work every day to achieve our goal, I think that's really important. I love that she's around that every day, she sees me doing something that I love and being successful. And I think that is also important for young girls to see, being passionate about what we're doing."
Rafael Nadal (Tennis player; Team Spain)
Maria Francisca Perello, wife of Rafael Nadal with their son Rafael Nadal Junior support Rafael Nadal and partner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain against Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina in the Men's Doubles first round match on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on July 27, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo: Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal, the two-time gold medal-winning tennis champion from Spain was cheered on from the sidelines by his wife,Maria Francisca Perello (the two were married in 2019), and their 2-year-old son,Rafael Nadal Junior. Nadal and his tennis pairs partner, Carlos Alcaraz, were defeated during the quarterfinals while facing off against U.S. duoAustin KrajicekandRajeev Ram. Nadal also lost out on the singles gold following a loss to Serbian rival,Novak Djokovic.
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Victor Koretzky (Cyclist; Team France)
Silver medalist Victor Koretzky of Team France (C) poses for a photograph with his wife Lea (L) and his son (R) during the Men's Cross-Country on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Elancourt Hill on July 29, 2024 in Elancourt, France. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
French cyclist Victor Koretzky won his first-ever Olympic medal for Men's Cross-Country, coming second only toTom Pidco*ck of the United Kingdom. The French rider nearly took home gold, but underestimated the final lap of the track, which wreaked havoc on his front wheel. Nevertheless, he appeared quite emotional (in a good way!) at placing in the Top 3 while embracing his wife and child.
David Smith (Volleyball player; Team USA)
David Smith of Team United State carries daughter Amelia after the Men's Preliminary Round Pool C volleyball match between Team United States and Team Germany on day four of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris Arena on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. Photo: Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images
David Smith represents the best of humanity's ability to overcome adversity. Born with acute hearing loss in both ears, the American volleyball player has now competed in four Olympic Games, setting a great example for his daughter, Amelia.“I’ve realized that if I do care about something, there’s a way to get there, there’s a way to manage it, to figure it out. … It’s the only world I know, but I’m doing the best I can, to make the best of it,” Smith said (via CNN).
Helen Glover(Rower; Team Great Britain)
Great Britain's Helen Glover with her children Logan, Kit and Willow after winning a silver medal in the Women's Rowing Four at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on the sixth day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Photo: John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images
After winning her third Olympic medal (she andHeather Stanning took home pairs gold at London and Rio), Helen Glover isn't sure whether she'll continue rowing. As she contemplates her athletic future, she'll bask in the glory of her victory alongside her husband, Steve Blackshall and their three boys: Logan, Kit, and Willow."I think if I hadn't made it on to the podium, that would have been really hard," Glover admitted to the BBC. "I had just pictured this moment where I was stood there getting a medal with my kids in front of me, and that happened yesterday and so that kind of meant everything."
Clarisse Agbegnenou (Judoka; Team France)
France's Clarisse Agbegnenou holds her baby as she reacts after beating Austria's Lubjana Piovesana in the judo women's -63kg bronze medal bout of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, in Paris on July 30, 2024. Photo: Luis Robayo/AFP
Judo championClarisse Agbegnenou broke down in tears of joy after snagging a bronze medal at the 2024 Games. This is certainly a moment her baby daughterAthéna can look back on with immense pride one day.“I want women athletes who follow me to feel free and legitimate, to break codes to change mentalities and change the rules,"Agbegnenou said during an interview withLe Parisien(via The Guardian)."We can have a life as a woman and mother as well as champion at the same time."
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