Watching 'bounce back' stars has been a big Olympic highlight

I can’t believe what I’m about to say here … we’ve nearly come to the end of the Olympic Games here in Paris.

Two weeks of massive wins, a few heartbreaking losses and thousands of hopes and dreams will be nicely tied up by the closing ceremony on Sunday when Paris says goodbye to the Games and looks towards Los Angeles 2028 in the United States.

But woah, we’re not there just yet.

There are still loads of medals to be won and with Team GB sitting fifth in the medal table, could things change before then? We’ll have to wait and see if they can move any higher.

For me, I have absolutely loved my time in Paris.

You can't help but smile covering all the different sports in Paris. Here I am at the Stade de France for the athletics

We started in week one with Olympic pins and my mission to get them to as many athletes as possible (oh, I managed to get one on Team GB skateboarder Sky Brown and gave Brazil superstar gymnast Rebeca Andrade a pin, amazing!)

Then came week two which was about all of the incredible Newsround fans who have been out in Paris who stopped to have a chat with me and share their stories.

There were so many that didn’t make it on TV but honestly, thank you to every single one of you who came to say hi, take a selfie or even just shout “Newsrouuuund” across an Olympic venue.

Yes, that did happen a few times.

But what is the theme for this week? If you think about it, it can only be about one thing. ‘Bouncing back’.

Let me explain.

I’ve been so lucky to have seen so many BIG sporting moments during this last week of the Games and one thing that keeps coming back is how resilient some of these athletes are and how they’ve been able to shine despite going through some really tough times.

What a day of drama at the skateboarding as an injured Sky Brown battles her way to a bronze medal. What a performance!

Take Sky Brown, for example. We were preparing to go to watch one of the gymnastics finals when we heard the news that Sky had dislocated her shoulder and may not be fit enough to compete.

After a few phone calls and emails, we were off to meet Sky straight after she had seen the doctor.

In typical Sky fashion, she was smiley as ever and super confident that she would be able to compete.

She said the injury was ‘scary’ but also that she is strong and believes in herself.

I’m going to be honest, I was a little worried about Sky.

When I went to see her at the Park Skateboarding final she fell off her skateboard at one point and seemed to be in a lot a pain.

I really didn’t want Sky to come so close to a medal only for it to disappear at the final hurdle.

However Sky got back up with some encouragement from her dad and the crowd and eventually blew everyone away to win a bronze medal.

Simone Biles may be the GOAT but she's had to bounce back from some tough times

Now, I know she’s made a mention in near enough everything I’ve said while being out here but come on, just take a look at Simone Biles as well.

She dropped out of the Tokyo Olympics after two events to look after her mental health and decided to take some time away from the sport.

So what does she do in Paris? She absolutely bosses it and walks away with three gold medals and a silver, and shows the world that anyone can come back from a difficult time in their life.

It was tough in Tokyo for GB diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix but she bounced back in Paris to celebrate a medal with her dad Fred

There are stories like this across the Olympic Games.

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix had a really hard time at the Tokyo Games, which took place when most of the world were still in different lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She has also been open about how she’s struggled with her mental health. Despite all of that, she was able to compete to the best of her ability and take home a bronze.

I think it’s super important to remember these stories because it shows that even though Olympic athletes are the best of the best in sport, they are human just like you and I.

It’s a reminder that it’s always possible to bounce back and be a star and no matter how long it takes you, it’s always possible.

I have loved being at my first ever Olympic Games and I really do hope that if this is your first Olympic Games you’ve watched, you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

I’m going to be in Paris for a few more days covering those all important medals on Newsround every morning before I say au revoir - or goodbye - to the city of light.

I’ll see you back in the Newsround studio gang!