Paris 2024 Olympics: Esports was present in spirit

Esports might not have been part of the Paris Olympics 2024, but video games were present in the hearts of some of the competitors. Here’s a short list of Olympians who showed their passion for esports and video games.

Maxine Esteban

Filipina foilist Maxine Esteban represented Ivory Coast in the Paris 2024 Olympics. In a recent interview with ABS-CBN, Esteban revealed that she’s an avid Dota 2 player, thanks to her father. She has reached Immortal, the highest rank in the popular MOBA. Her favorite heroes are Witch Doctor, Ogre Magi, and Windranger.

She then took her gaming skills further onto Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and achieved the top rank of Mythical Glory within months of playing. She’s a fan of mages and supports, identifying Vexana and Estes.

According to Esteban, her family was the driving force behind her gaming pursuits. Her father introduced her to Dota 2 during the pandemic, and her younger sister to MLBB. “For Dota [2], I wanted to be better than my dad. For MLBB, I wanted to be better than my sister,” she says.

She also visited the opening match of the MPL Philippines Season 14. Esteban expressed joy and pride witnessing the crowd supporting their respective teams. “It was very big and the supporters were really lively… It was overwhelming to be there. I’m really happy to get to witness my first live game here,” an elated Esteban said in an interview with Esports INQ. 

In Paris 2024, Esteban exited the women’s individual foil competition at the table of 32, failing to bring a medal back to the Ivory Coast.

Stephen Nedoroscik

Stephen Nedoroscik of the USA men’s national gymnastics team was also one that went viral. His proficiency on the pommel horse helped Team USA bring home bronze. Nicknamed “The Specialist,” Nedoroscik shot into fame overnight with netizens comparing him to Clark Kent, Superman’s alter ego.

When he’s not crushing the competition in gymnastics, he’s shooting goals in Rocket League. In fact, he’s in the top 2% of players, so GymnastSteve isn’t a force to be reckoned with on the Rocket League Arena, either. You can catch some of his games on his Twitch channel.

Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles represented the USA in the men’s Track and Field events. He quickly went viral for his pre-race demonstrations, the most popular of which was the Blue Eyes White Dragon Yu-Gi-Oh card he pulled out.

When he won his gold medal, he celebrated by doing the Kamehameha pose. Lyles’ YouTube channel has over 200K followers. Last year, he posted videos showing off his hobbies and gaming setup to followers.

Pau Echaniz

Echaniz competed at the men’s K-1 slalom canoeing event, representing Spain. He won a bronze medal for his country – but he shook up a storm internationally with what he did with his medal.

He went on X (formerly known as Twitter) and announced that he would stream League of Legends on his Twitch account. Echaniz is as dedicated to the LoL climb as he is to canoeing, saying, “I won’t get on a canoe until I reach gold.” His current rank matches his medal: Bronze.

The official Spanish League of Legends account honored Echaniz alongside rock climber Alberto Gines Lopez.

Maddison Keeney

Australian diver Maddison Keeney competed in the 3-meter springboard event, where she placed second and earned a silver medal. When she’s off the water, though, she’s a fan and viewer of League of Legends esports. 

The audience of content creator and ex-pro player Marc “Caedrel” Lamont quickly became endeared to the Olympian once she revealed her participation. After winning the medal, she sent a message to Caedrel and his viewers through Discord.

Keeney is also an avid Pokemon card collector with an expansive trove.

Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokić, of NBA fame, led the Serbian men’s basketball team to bronze. During an interview last year, the “Joker” revealed that he is a massive League of Legends player. He plays top lane and his favorite champions are Urgot and Illaoi.

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