The Top Breakout Stars of the 2024 Summer Olympics — So Far!

From Thomas Ceccon's viral abs to Stephen Nedoroscik's high-scoring pommel horse performance, learn more about these breakout athletes

The first week of the 2024 Summer Olympics is off to an exciting start!

Athletes from all over the world have taken the internet by storm — breaking records, making viral TikTok content and causing waves in and out of the arena. Whether they're putting up medal-winning performances or reliving old memories, many star competitors are gaining large fanbases online as the games roll into their second week of competition.

Read on to learn more about some of the biggest breakout stars at the Olympics so far!

Ilona Maher

From starting her journey as a rugby player at age 17 to helping lead the Team USA women’s rugby sevens team win a bronze medal, Ilona Maher has been making her mark in Paris and beyond.

Though she was already active on TikTok before the 2024 games — passing the million-follower mark during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 — the 27-year-old has made a name for herself by speaking out about her sport and body positivity.

This year, she even convinced Jason Kelce to be a superfan of the rugby team, which led to him sporting a red, white and blue button-up shirt covered in pictures of her face.

Thomas Ceccon

Thomas Ceccon made waves — no pun intended — in the first week of the Olympic games when viewers caught a look of his abs while posing with his newly-minted bronze medal after competing in the 4x100m freestyle relay for Team Italy.

In addition to this eye-catching moment, Ceccon also took home the gold for the Men's 100m Backstroke.

Nada Hafez

Egypt's Nada Hafez not only made it to the final 16 in the women's saber individual competition, she did so seven months pregnant!

“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” Hafez wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the emotional moment.

The three-time Olympian is expecting her first child with with husband Ibrahim Ihab, whom she married in March 2023.

Giorgia Villa

Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa has gone viral in the first week of the 2024 Olympic games and not just because she helped Team Italy earn a silver medal in the women’s team competition.

Following the opening ceremony, photos from Villa’s old partnership with Parmigiano Reggiano — which show the Olympian posing in her gymnastics uniform with giant wheels of the cheese — popped up online to many fans' delight.

Stephen Nedoroscik

From the moment Stephen Nedoroscik hit the pommel horse during the July 29 men’s gymnastics team final, he became a sensation.

While his teammates Paul Juda, Fred Richard, Brody Malone and Asher Hong competed across five other events, for Nedoroscik, the pommel horse was his sole moment to shine. His high score on the apparatus ultimately helped the team secure their bronze medal —  their first medal in 16 years.

His performance in the event was not the only thing that led to his internet fame, viewers were quick to compare him to Clark Kent due to his thick framed glasses.

Kim Yeji

Dubbed the "coolest athlete" at the Paris Olympics by The Athletic, Republic of Korea pistol shooter Kim Yeji has shined not only because of her silver medal-winning performance in the 10m Air Pistol Women's event. Her personal style also caught the attention of many.

During her event, the 31-year-old was seen with a stuffed elephant toy attached to her side, which, the official Olympics news page reported belongs to her daughter. People also took note of Yeji's cool custom eye-wear.

Gabriel Medina

In a photo that seems to defy gravity, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina celebrated mid-air after a performance that would earn him the highest single-wave score in Olympic history.

With both the board and Medina appearing to float above the water, its no wonder this photo made a splash.

Flavia Saraiva

When Brazil's Flavia Saraiva hit the floor for the women's artistic gymnastics team final on July 30 viewers saw that the 24-year-old was doing so with what appeared to be a black eye. As it turns out, Saraiva fell while warming up on the uneven bars, Time magazine explains, which resulted in a cut above her eye. After being seen by the medical team, she was back to work with a bandage above her eye.

“I could not see, it bled, but the team’s doctor told me everything was all right,” Saraiva said, per the Associated Press. “I believe my knee hit my eye when I tripped. It’s not the first time it happens to me. Maybe I will need some stitches.”

Tyler Downs

Like several other athletes competing in the games, Tyler Downs has given fans glimpses into the life of an Olympic athlete through videos shared on his TikTok wracking up millions of views.

In one video shared this week, the Team USA diver wrote that he was “going to the dining hall to stare at all the hot athletes” along with fellow diver Jaye Patrick. In another, he jumped on the "Apple" dance trend, doing his best rendition of the routine in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Yusuf Dikeç

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç went viral during the first week of the games for his seemingly laid-back attire for competition.

Despite his lack of protective ear wear or any special lenses like many other shooters choose to wear, Dikeç won a silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team competition on July 30.

Rebeca Andrade

Before facing Simone Biles in the women's individual all-around finals on August 1, Brazil's Rebeca Andrade stood out as one of Biles' biggest competitors.

In her Netflix documentary, Simone Biles Rising, Biles revealed that Andrade "scares me the most" while also calling her a "phenomenal gymnast." Andrade won the silver medal at the competition.

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