2 min readA finish line celebration, sure. A victory lap? De rigueur.
But that’s not enough for these Olympic Games in Paris. When the winners of each event on the track get the go-ahead, they pull a rope to ring a large bronze church bell, signifying their triumph.
Noah Lyles did it. So did Julien Alfred and Joshua Cheptegei. Gabby Thomas got her turn on August 6, shortly after Cole Hocker.
Nothing says jubilation like a gold medalist ringing a bell. The ap-PEAL is undeniable.
How did a bell come to be at the track? Thank rugby for that.
Rugby was held in Stade de France the first week of the Games, before track started. And the winner of each match rang the bell, including Ilona Maher (who now has 3 million Instagram followers) and the bronze medal-winning American women’s rugby sevens team.
Someone had the bright idea of keeping it around for track.
Voilà!
This bell, made in Normandy, will hang in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame after the Games, a gift from the Olympics to the city. According to NBCOlympics.com, the bell is engraved with the Paris 2024 emblem. It is part of the legacy project for the Games, “with the idea that the sound of Olympic victory will be heard for decades to come,” NBC wrote.
Marathoners in the U.S. have often enjoyed a “BQ bell” at races like the Twin Cities Marathon and the California International Marathon. Runners who run a Boston Marathon qualifying time get a celebratory ring of the thing. (Olympians, they’re just like us!)
Meanwhile, as the Games continue in Paris, let joy ring out at the track.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
