The greatest Scandinavian moments of the 2024 Olympics so far

Whether spectating court-side or glued to live streams, the world is fixated on the extraordinary talent on display at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Amongst all the buzz, Nordic countries have been adding their own worthy highlights to the mix, turning heads and winning hearts across the globe with performances that have highlighted not only individual skill but also the rich sporting culture of our region.

From record-breaking feats to heart-stopping finishes, the Scandinavian nations have delivered some of the most thrilling moments of these Games. But as we all know, the Olympics serves up greater cultural capital than just sport, offering up viral style and celebrity moments that have proven to be just as influential as what's happening in and on the fields, courts, lanes and – in this case – the Seine.

Scroll on to dive into the best Scandinavian moments of the 2024 Olympics so far, as we relive the excitement of these remarkable Nordic moments.

“It was the perfect day. Not only for me, personally, but for the whole team," said handball scorer Mathias Gidsel after leading the Danish team to victory over Germany in today's final. "Playing like this, beating Germany in a final, says how good we are. I'm really proud," he gushed to press after the medal presentation.

It reflects the third podium when for the Danish team over the course of the last three Games, following their gold at Rio in 2016 and silver at Tokyo in 2020.

Vogue Scandinavia alum Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis is not just the best pole vaulter in Sweden, he's the best in the world – as proven once again last night at the sweltering Stade de France as continued an incredible streak: breaking his own world record for the ninth time in his career and scooping the Olympic gold along the way.

In our latest issue, Duplantis spoke of his feeling of freedom when it came to the 2024 Games, given he already had gold in his back pocket after the Tokyo Olympics. "Going into this one, the weight is off my shoulders. Everything else is just a bonus," he said.

That feeling of freedom has surely doubled as he adds the second gold to his pocket and a new height of 6.25m. Swathed in the Swedish flag, with King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia looking on, Duplantis made a beeline for his family members and girlfriend Desiré Inglander for a celebratory embrace which the crowd lapped up. "My biggest dream since a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I’ve been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I’ve ever competed in front of," he said to the press once the deafening roar died down.

Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström has once again proven herself as a force to be reckoned with, reclaiming her position as best in the world at the 100m freestyle as she clinched gold on day five of the 2024 Olympics. Sjöström clocked a time of 52.16 seconds, just half a second behind the world record she set in 2017 – a record which still stands today. The win also leaves her mark in the record books as the oldest winner of this event.

Torri Huske of the USA finished just 0.13 seconds behind Sjöström to take the silver, while China's Siobhan Bernadette Haughey came third with a time of 52.33. Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, who went into the race as the favourite to win gold, missed out on the podium by just 0.01 of a second to take fourth.

In a tense dual on the fifth day of the Games, Swedish 22-year-old Truls Möregårdh was the clear underdog to table tennis' undefeated world number one: Chuqin Wang of the People's Republic of China. In a tight match peppered with frequent ties, stunned onlookers witnessed Möregårdh eventually clamber to victory, describing himself as in "a state of shock" in the following press conference.

In a long-standing controversial point around this year's Olympic planning, officials undertook an ambitious plan to clean up the notoriously polluted Seine, insisting it would be of a quality clean enough for the swimming portion of the triathlon and marathon events. Earlier this month, it seemed the waters were adequately improved, with the mayor of Paris even taking a plunge to prove the promise. That is, until a deluge of heavy rains not only dampened the Opening Ceremony but also reinstated bacteria levels in the river.

Despite this, the Seine was given the go-ahead (albeit with delays) for the triathlon on day five. Early in the morning, Iceland's Edda Hannesdottir, Sweden's Tilda Mansson, Denmark's Alberte Kjaer Pedersen, Norway's Solveig Lovseth and Lotte Miller took the plunge for the women's event. Later, the male competitors took the risky dip, including Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt and Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, alongiside Danish Emil Holm. While none of the Nordic entrants took to the podium, the feat of facing the waters of the Seine deserves a medal of bravery in its own right.

Related: The best celebrity sightings at the 2024 Olympic Games

While Swedish 21-year-old shooter Victor Lindgren can now call himself an Olympic medalist in the men's 10 meter air rifle, back home in Skåne, he prides himself on his professional as a welder. While seemingly worlds apart, both pursuits call for a precision and poise that Lindgren has on lock. Spectators followed a thrilling final shoot-out against China's Seng Lihao who eventually took the gold ahead of Lindgren's silver triumph.

Lindgren's parents travelled from Sweden to support him from the sidelines of the shooting range, but accidentally purchased tickets to the wrong shooting event. Then, as he advanced to the finals, Lindgren's parents couldn't secure tickets to the sold-out event. However, they managed to watch their son on the big screen, and he shared "happy tears" with them after the event. "They were able to hold the medal and we took pictures," Lindgren said afterwards.

*Vogue Scandinavia'*s latest digital cover star, Danish tennis champion Caroline Wozniacki, continued her comeback era with a qualification in the 2024 Olympics to represent Team Denmark. Storming through to success in the first two rounds against USA's Alicia Parks and Canada's Leylah Fernandez, she was ultimately defeated in the third round by Kazakhstani player Elena Rybakina.

While it's not the Olympic outcome Wozniacki and her fanbase may have hoped for, it's a thrilling moment whenever Wozniacki steps out onto the court. And in her own words, it's more about the fight than the final score. “There's no better feeling than a tough, hard-fought match,” she told Vogue Scandinavia in her recent interview.

Landing in Paris to support the Danish athletes, King Frederik X of Denmark and Queen Mary of Denmark first met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macroon at Elysee Palace. The Queen was a vision of national pride in her country's colours, donning a wrap blouse by her go-to Danish designer Jesper Hovring, paired with white trousers by Andiata and coordinating Valentino Rockstud red leather pumps.

Later, the royal couple migrated to the Seine for the rain-sodden Opening Ceremony, snapping an Instagram post captioned with a message reiterating "friendship, solidarity and fair play" as the foundations of the Olympic spirit. "The strong community felt at the Olympic Games has always meant something special to both of us, just as experiencing the Olympic atmosphere together again evokes wonderful memories," they shared on their official account.

The first ever Olympic judo medal for Sweden? It was secured by Tara Babulfath – marking the country's debut medal on the first day of the Games – as she defeated Kazakhstan's Abiba Abuzhakynova to take bronze. As the second-youngest competitor in the 2024 Game's judo competition, Babulfath delivered a heartfelt moment as she jumped into the arms of her father Mohammed (a successful wrestler who competed for Sweden at the 2004 Olympics), while her mother Ida Hellström also boasts wrestling credentials having won several medals at World Championship events.

Just a few weeks after her 30th birthday, Swedish cross-country mountainbike rider Jenny Rissveds found herself with another Olympic medal to add to her cabinet. Following her gold medal win at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Jenny claimed bronze on day two at the event held in the Parisian suburb of Elancourt. But it wasn't without a dose of drama, with Rissveds putting up a fight for with American rider Haley Batten between silver and bronze. While Batten eventually came out on top, there was scrutiny that she had violated a rule in handling the water bottle launch section of the event.

Rissved was subsequently praised for her Olympic spirit, choosing not to file a protest to potentially claim silver for herself. "We all make mistakes," Rissveds was quoted as saying after the event. "It can happen to anyone. In our team, we had read about the rules and that we weren't allowed to do that. She simply forgot."

After teaming up with Spanish star Rafael Nadal at Sweden's Båstad tournament earlier in July, Vogue Scandinavia alum Casper Ruud continues a winning streak at this year's Games. He takes to the court for the fourth round today – marking the first time a Norwegian player, male or female, has ever reached the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics. His latest win marks another milestone for the 25-year-old Oslo-born player, being the 250th recorded win of his career.

While Ruud is forging his own path forward in Scandinavian tennis history, he has paid tribute to his father Christian Ruud on Instagram, who played tennis professionally and competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Christian is cheering courtside at each match, and even joined his son and the Norwegian cohort on the Seine for the Opening Ceremony.

Points are being scored away from the official medal tally too, with the fashion world serving up just as many major moments throughout the Olympics. Kicking things off at the Fondation Louis Vuitton was the Prelude to the Olympics: a star-studded event that brought together a mix of celebrities, fashion designers and athletes ahead of the Games commencing. Amongst the A-listers was Norwegian designer Peter Dundas with husband Evangelo Bousis by his side. The pair clearly enjoyed the evening, sharing snapshots of themselves rubbing shoulders with Snoop Dogg – an unexpected Olympics fixture – captioned with "follow the dawg".

Sweden made history on Saturday as 22-year-olds David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig snagged the country's first ever gold medal at the Olympic Games in men's beach volleyball against Germany against the scenic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. "It's just unbelievable," said Ahman. "We played our hearts out, and it worked so well. We were so focused."

This was not the only victory for the Nordic countries, as Norway took the bronze medal in the same event, beating Qatar for a place on the podium.

Gold, gold, and gold again. Saturday marked a triumphant end to the games for Norway who claimed first place in the mens' 5000m, women's handball and women's weightlifting 81kg.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen made up for his medal miss in the 1500m, placing fourth, by winning his first Olympic gold in the 5000m. securing the season's best time. He did sowith the support of his wife and daughter in the stands: 'It means a lot. Of course it's special to be able to share this moment with them,” he said of the event. “It is something I will remember for the rest of my life.'

The Norwegian women's team was a force to be reckoned with in handball. They secured their fifth Olympic medal in the event and their first gold since London 2012. The team won against France 29-21, with star player Henny Reistad scoring eight goals in 12 shots.

Finally, history was made in women's 81kg weightlifting as Solfrid Koanda broke two Olympic records and secured the gold for Norway. In fact, it was such an unusual event that Koanda walked off dejected, not realising she had won, before receiving confirmation and breaking down in tears of joy. 'I haven't done this alone,' she said. 'I have a small team, but I'm very grateful. I don't feel like I'm alone on that stage.'