For many, Tony Estanguet is one of the important men of this year 2024 on a global scale. While there were particularly many doubts about the smooth running of the event, the Paris Olympic Games were a success across the board. A success that can largely be attributed to the president of the organizing committee for these daring Parisian Games, which made sports lovers around the world dream.
After spending ten years of his life organizing the Games, Tony Estanguet said goodbye to his role, as he announced via a post on social networks on December 20. The former single-seater canoe specialist, three-time Olympic champion, left with a nice sum of money after the Paris Olympics and now he can look to the future with peace of mind. This Wednesday, the companion of Laëtitia, with whom he has three children, Léandre, Gabin and Titouan, already champion and better than his father at his age, agreed to give an interview to the magazine Psychologies. The 46-year-old champion speaks in particular about the impact of this very special event on an emotional level. “This is the most difficult to manage. It was hard for mefor my sons, for my partner, for everyone. Suddenly, our whole balance was turned upside down”he confesses.
Vacations together to unite the family
-If the preparation for the Olympics was particularly intense for the Olympic champion, targeted by an investigation into his remuneration, he asked himself a lot of questions. “My biggest doubts were like this: is it really worth it to sacrifice family time for a professional adventure, however beautiful it may be?”asks Tony Estanguet, before explaining what he has put in place: “I have tried to preserve the quality of our momentsif not in quantity. We went as a family to Oman, Cape Verde: it was short but intense. (…) My sons are 11, 13 and 17 years old and, for a long time, they only saw the constraints of my position.”
A delicate situation for the sportsman who owns a magnificent 200m2 house in the heart of the Pyrenees, but despite the doubts and difficulties, everything ultimately went well. “At the very end, they told me they were proud of their father and we had very strong moments of sharing. Deep down, I believe that it brought us closer”concludes Tony Estanguet on the subject.
