In the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, an iconic setting about 15 kilometers from Paris appropriate—the four-legged athletes of the Olympics (and their two-legged riders) have been navigating fences that are much more than mere posts in the ground: they are meticulously crafted, dazzling masterpieces that almost divert our attention from the incredible jumps that the riders and their mounts are performing.
The course for the Paris 2024 show jumping events was designed by Grégory Bodo, 45, who worked with a Spanish partner, Santiago Varela Ullastres. Together, they created 14 obstacles of different heights and widths for each day, placed along the sand track of the arena in which the show jumping events were held. The fences were kept in locked and secured semi-trailers before the competition began, so that no rider would have a preview of their difficulty levels, Le Monde reports. reports.
The team diving event ended on Aug. 2 and produced the oldest American medalist in 72 years — 58-year-old Laura Kraut, who won silver with teammates Karl Cook and McLain Ward. But you can still see those compositions in the individual diving competition, which begins Aug. 5.
The art — or rather, the obstacles — range from ancient Japanese symbols to landmarks that any visitor to Paris will recognize (yes, there are references to wine and sweets) and are described in PDFs at the Olympics website. Scroll down to check out our absolute favorites. And then tune in on Monday so you can pick out your favorites in action.
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