Olympic colors and visions leave indelible marks on the tartan, pools, fields and the entire morphology of the world’s most celebrated sporting event. They are a reflection of each athlete’s flair. They are painted nails and futuristic glasses. Visual brilliance applied to performance and statuesque bodies. They are, above all, contemporary art and fashion appropriating the athletic stage. This connection will surely rise to the fore during Paris 2024. The French Games are just around the corner, and we wanted to introduce them through ten details that made Olympic history. We did this selection in partnership with IMAGO and its special editorial project  The Game Magazine. Enjoy!

The 1960 Rome Marathon remains one of the most epic moments in Olympic history, and credit is due to Ethiopian winner Abebe Bikila. Bikila amazed the Eternal City by running the entire event barefoot. It was the first, emblematic Olympic gold from the African continent in the history of the Olympic Games. South African middle distance runner Zola Budd followed Bikila’s example, tackling the 3,000-meter without shoes at LA ’84. In that edition, Budd represented Great Britain due to the IOC’s ban on South Africa for apartheid. He placed 7th.

In Mexico ’68, Dick Fosbury turned the world upside down, changing the high jump forever. His revolution created the back jump. Until then, high jumpers had never cleared the bar with their backs. Fosbury brought an end to the straddle style and scissor-kick, winning the gold medal with an ultramodern style. For the occasion, he wore two different colored shoes. It wasn’t a marketing choice; Fosbury claimed he got more energy out of the jumping foot because of the different colors. 

The 13-step gentleman, the greatest hurdler in history. Moses was unbeatable in the 110 hurdles, winning gold in both Montreal ’76 and LA ’84, skipping Moscow ’80 for political reasons. His performances were art applied to science, allowing him to go undefeated for a decade. His image became particularly iconic because of the necklaces and sunglasses the champion hurdler would wear.

In Sydney 2000, Cathy Freeman won an Olympic gold medal at home, celebrating her Aboriginal roots. Freeman’s feat is remembered for its historical and social value as well as for the unique running suit she wore to dominate the 400 meters, which would later inspire an Australian-designed spacesuit. The Australian athlete was also the torchbearer for that Olympic edition.

Florence Griffith-Joyner was a stylist on the tartan. The fastest woman in the world has repeatedly broken the barriers of sound, history, and women’s athletics. Flo-Jo still holds world records in the 100 and 200 meters. Her legend stays contemporary because of the aesthetic eclecticism she demonstrated on the track. Her glitzy and imaginative outfits are as famous as her nails – an unforgettable detail that embellished her 3 Olympic gold medals. 

Barcelona 1992 was a unique edition of the Olympics: the platform of the original Dream Team USA. Michael Jordan, ‘Magic’ Johnson, Larry Bird and co. weren’t the only miracles on the Catalan court. The Lithuanian national team also entranced the Barcelona audience, winning a bronze medal just after the country’s independence, all while donning psychedelic outfits created with the well-known band Grateful Dead, who sought to channel that team’s symbolic and political value. Even today, Lithuania’s vibrant 1992 kits are among the most iconic in Olympic history.

Michael Johnson’s ‘Golden Spikes’ are the perfect detail for the greatest 400-meter runner in history. In the Atlanta ’96 Olympics, the Dallas native was supposed to wear silver shoes but opted for a golden colorway. It turned out to be particularly auspicious, leading ‘The Duck’ to become the first man to win gold medals in both the 200 and 400 meters in a single Olympic edition. 

During the Australian edition of the new millennium, another home-grown hero changed the aesthetics and science of his sport. Ian Thorpe wore a full-body suit in the Sydney pools, winning three gold medals. His second skin, developed through scientific studies and technological innovations, launched a trend that would be followed by countless other swimmers in the following years. Thorpe would win two more Olympic gold medals in Athens 2004, always in black.

The advent of the new millennium also brought one of the most distinctive items in the history of athletics: Ato Boldon’s glasses worn on the Sydney tartan. The Trinidad & Tobago sprinter stunned the world, becoming a style icon still revered by lovers of sport and fashion.

We end our exploration of Olympic aesthetics with the mesmerizing color combinations of Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s hair. The three-time Olympic champion Jamaican sprinter continues to light up the tartan as much with her outstanding performances as her theatrical hairstyles, inspiring countless other female athletes over the past few years.