Hollywood star Tom Cruise delivered stardust at the closing ceremony - and a link with the next Games in Los Angeles - by abseiling into the national stadium. The Mission Impossible star descended on a wire in front of 71,500 spectators, grabbed the Olympic flag and jumped onto a motorbike, to the delight of thousands of dancing athletes and awe-struck fans.
Los Angeles band Red Hot Chili Peppers, singer Billie Eilish and rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre then performed a mini-concert on a beach.
But there was also sadness that two weeks of high-spirited celebration had come to an end.
"Keep the flame alive," urged the front-page headline of France's biggest sports newspaper, L'Equipe, which featured new national swimming hero Leon Marchand and urged French people to maintain the spirit "of this enchanted fortnight."At the Athletes' Village, bleary-eyed athletes were packing their bags after a late night, with Paris' two main airports braced for a huge influx of travelers and sports equipment.
Magda Skarbonkiewicz, a Team USA fencer, said she would return home filled with memories of competing inside the Grand Palais, one of the historic venues used around the French capital. "It's such an iconic venue and just nothing like I've ever seen before," she said. "It's amazing to see so many people care about fencing the way the French people do."The closing spectacle marked the beginning of the four-year countdown to the LA Games, and American gymnastics icon Simone Biles joined Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass as the Olympic flag was formally handed over.
Earlier, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the Paris Games had been "sport at its best.""These were sensational Olympic Games from start to finish. Or dare I say: Seine-sational Games," Bach quipped in a pun about the river flowing through Paris.
Around 9,000 athletes were entertained by 270 performers and artists during the ceremony."We knew you would be brilliant, but you were magic," Paris 2024 organizing chief Tony Estanguet said. "You made us happy, you made us feel alive - the world needed this moment so much."
The ceremony began when Marchand - winner of four gold medals - collected the Olympic flame.It followed 17 days of breathtaking sporting action set against the backdrop of iconic Parisian landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to the Chateau de Versailles.
The United States pipped China for top spot in the battle for medals after the US women's basketball team squeezed past France 67-66 to clinch the last gold of the Games.The victory ensured the Americans finished level with China on 40 golds each. The US however won more medals with 126, including 44 silver. China took home 91.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
