The Paris Olympics 2024 has officially come to a close at the Stade de France. The next venue of the Summer Games is Los Angeles in 2028, so it’s only fitting that America brings the big guns to carry the torch forward. Headlining the entire performance was Tom Cruise doing what Tom Cruise does best — his own death-defying stunts. The 62-year-old Hollywood star rappelled off the roof of the Stade de France, collected the Olympic flag from LA Mayor, Karen Bass, and then rode off on an electric LiveWire Del Mar motorcycle.
The adrenaline-pumping closing sequence then saw Cruise blasting through the streets of Paris noiselessly, sans a helmet in typical Tom Cruise fashion, with the wind is his hair and the Olympic flag attached to his motorcycle.
Cruise then rode onto a waiting cargo plane, where the footage cuts to a pre-recorded sequence. One that’s no less electrifying — Cruise packs the flag up, jumps out of the plane and parachutes down to green fields. The camera follows the actor as he runs and jumps his way up a hill, before handing off the flag to an Olympic athlete on a cycle.
Cruise then goes through an elaborate process of climbing some sort of scaffolding, attaching ropes, and tightening carabiners along the way. It is then revealed that the five Olympic rings had been added to the iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Cue performances from American musicians the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.
In case you’re curious about the funky-looking electric motorcycle Tom Cruise rode at the closing ceremony, the LiveWire Del Mar is a $15,499 street tracker with a 113-mile range. It comes from the electric mobility arm of Harley-Davidson, so it’s as American as it gets. The LiveWire Del Mar boasts an 84 horsepower electric motor, though the more impressive figure is its 194 lb-ft of torque that puts it far ahead of Harley’s most torquey gas engines. The LiveWire Del Mar’s 0-60MPH time of 3 seconds certainly is impressive enough to qualify to be the star of the Olympics closing ceremony alongside Tom Cruise.
