The destiny of any good thing is that it must, eventually, come to an end.

And these Games of the 33rd Olympiad have been a seriously impressive collection of mighty good things.

An Olympics that officially started under leaden skies that could have served to terminally dampen spirits never let itself be dragged down.

As the motley assortment of boats carved their way along the maligned Seine with their increasingly bedraggled cargo on board during the Opening Ceremony, it would have been easy for the rain to set the tone.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

Part of that, of course, was down to the phenomenal atmosphere around the Games.

“We thought ourselves a nation of diehard moaners,” Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024, said during the Closing Ceremony.

“Instead we found ourselves a nation of wild supporters.”

Mostly though, it was down to the extraordinary performances of those these Games are for, the athletes, whose exploits were celebrated with a montage of highlights to kick off the Closing Ceremony at a packed Stade de France.

Before the Opening Ceremony had even started, France had enjoyed its first moment of the Games, the irrepressible Antoine Dupont leading his team to a surge of impossible wins at the Stade de France by his own force of will as much as his brilliance.

That is what set the tone for a Games rich in sporting moments that will never be forgotten.

A Games that will be remembered by performances that tore the lid off what we had hoped for in our wildest dreams and what the hosts in particular dare not imagine.

Léon Marchand kept the party going, this extraordinary 22-year-old dishing out performance after staggering performance in front of a 15,000-capacity crowd at La Défense that roared and cheered and sung with impossible verve and passion to match the drama of his own making.

Nothing could better the atmosphere for his victory in the 400m medley, a riotous explosion of national pride focused on one man. 

That is until his staggering final-lap comeback in the 200m butterfly did just that, tearing the doors off La Défense and hurtling them down the street only a couple of days later. That was just the first of two gold medals he won that night.

Estanguet explained: “We wanted to be inspired. We got Léon Marchand.”

Australia’s own Ariarne Titmus defended her 400m freestyle title, seeing off a legend of the sport on one side and someone who will no doubt prove to become one on the other.

She was one of five Aussies to defend their titles in Paris, including Kaylee McKeown, the only Australian swimmer ever to win the double-double.

There were other phenomenal moments in the pool.

Katie Ledecky won her 800m title — hers simply by right of ownership. She has held the Olympic title in this event for 12 years, and Summer McIntosh, the 17-year-old who has the swimming world in the palm of her hand to do with what ever she pleases.

Tokyo was too early to be her coming out party. Now she’s homecoming queen after claiming three individual golds and a silver. 

It wasn’t just in the pool.

France loves judo, and it loves heavyweight star Teddy Riner even more.

Everyone, everywhere stopped what they were doing while France battled Japan in the mixed team final, crowding around laptops and TV screens as Riner was drawn to fight in the deciding bout and exploding in joy when he won.

His two gold medals at this Games simply confirmed his legacy.

There were others. Bespectacled table tennis player Félix Lebrun helped France to a team bronze, while people may not know the name Yusuf Dikeç, but you’d recognise the memes of him shooting his way to silver in the most casual and relaxed way imaginable.

Then there was the trio of French medallists in the BMX racing, a scenario that drew scenes of utter delirium that continued when Saya Sakakibara completed her emotional golden fairytale.

Criticisms of the Games are inevitable and understandable.

The cost of living crisis doesn’t pause during a Games any more than conflicts do during the so-called Olympic truce, and ticket prices were excessive for most. 

But the Games are not just about stadiums and arenas — and Paris made a greater use of its stunning setting than most to ensure the road-based events had a naturally spectacular arena to enjoy.