Between Snoop Dogg carrying the torch, USA women bringing home the country's first medal in rugby, Clark Kent Stephen Nedoroscik coming in clutch, FAAFO the Golden Girls winning it all, and Lee Kiefer becoming the first American fencer to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, the 2024 summer Olympic games in Paris have already hit us in all the feels.
Or so we thought.
During Wednesday's coverage of swimmer Katie Ledecky making history once again, NBC captured the reaction of a young fan just after the now 12-time Olympic medalist waved to her.
And it is everything.
Ledecky had just exited the water following an epic 1500-meter freestyle final in which she broke her own Olympic record.
An enthusiastic fan in the crowd was spotted yelling and waving at Ledecky after the win and caught the attention of the eight-time gold medalist, who returned the wave.
The fan's reaction said it all.
The young girl absolutely could not believe it, telling the person next to her:
"She waved at me!"
The fan, identified as Madden, was in complete disbelief and then, holding a corner of the American flag, pretended to faint.
You can watch below.
Natalie Coughlin, who is tied with Ledecky for most total Olympic medals by a Team USA swimmer, commented on the video, which was also posted to Instagram:
"I couldn’t love this any more. So cute!!! 💕"
@onherturf/Instagram
Leslie Jones also shared the viral clip on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
"Just in case you wondering if you are influencing little girls around the world!!"
"You are boo!!"
And others on social media agreed that this moment unlocked an entirely new level of emotion and inspiration.
Ledecky still has a chance to break the record for most Olympic medals when she competes in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 800-meter freestyle.
And it looks like her number one fan, who is also a swimmer, will be there to cheer her on!
@lacho_ai/X
@MimzyNGB/X
@ecofishsex/X
@EriahSteve/X
@Hetty714/X
