The echoes of the Paris 2024 Olympics are still reverberating through social media, as athletes share their thrilling journeys and unforgettable moments. Amidst the flood of behind-the-scenes glimpses and heartwarming stories, a peculiar detail has caught the world's attention: the stark difference between the 2024 and 2020 Olympic gold medals. Danish badminton sensation Viktor Axelsen, a double Olympic champion, recently unveiled a side-by-side comparison of his two gold medals on social media.
Surprisingly, the four-year-old Tokyo medal seemed to be in far better condition than its Paris counterpart, despite the latter being just a week old. Both medals share the iconic Olympic rings and the image of the Greek goddess Nike, a symbol of victory that has adorned Olympic medals since 1904. A post shared by Viktor Axelsen (@viktoraxelsen) However, each edition brings unique design elements to celebrate the host city.
The Paris 2024 medals feature a distinctive dark silver hexagon on the back, crafted from a piece of the iconic Eiffel Tower. This innovative design pays homage to the city's architectural marvel. In contrast, the Tokyo 2020 medals embodied sustainability, as they were made from recycled electronic devices collected from across Japan.
This post was shared a day ago on social media. Since being posted, it has gained more than 8.1 million views.
Axelsen's post sparked a lively online debate about the aesthetics of the two medals, with fans weighing in on their preferences. Gold Tokyo vs. Paris pic.
twitter.com/yZSAlJNZqK — Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 12, 2024 Tokyo vs Paris Olympic gold medal. Japan's craftsmanship is top-notch.
pic.twitter.com/K4ak4kUTU9 — Ouro Kenobi (@OuroKenobi) August 11, 2024 🥉 3rd place Medal from Paris Olympics looked more like pink gold than real copper.
Its color was strange, it's too pink unlike copper. Tokyo 2020 vs Paris 2024 pic.twitter.
com/xlClmiBlT7 — ❀ אנאיס ❀ (@IIAnaisII) August 12, 2024 “The Tokyo one looks expensive, meanwhile, the Paris just meh,” said one user, which received a range of responses from: “The Paris medal is made with a piece of Eiffel Tower, which is invaluable,” to: “The Tokyo medal looks much better because there’s simply more gold. Gold by itself is attractive.” Others were a lot more certain in their views: “Tokyo 2020 is best,” one fan said, using a side-by-side image of the two medals for emphasis.
“Tokyo > Paris. Tokyo gold is more like gold than the Paris one,” added another. READ MORE: India’s Paris Olympic Uniform Compared To Mongolian Team Lets Down Netizens; ‘Culturally Degrading’.
