PORTRAITS. The Olympic flame will pass through their hands in the English Channel

There will be at least 127 of them passing the Olympic flame across the Channel over the hours and in segments of 200-250 m. Here are a few words about some lucky people.

Daniel Simon

A committed man. This is how to define Daniel Simon, municipal councilor of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue for 20 years. “I worked with young people as a specialist educator, I loved it. I also like sport, I do it five times a week, and I started cycling at the age of 67… three years ago within the A3C (Amicale Cycliste Cherbourg Cotentin)”, smiles the dapper septuagenarian, 5th Cherbourg torchbearer. It was his wife Brigitte who insisted on including him among the torchbearers, for his unfailing commitment to sport. “20 years ago, we created the Course du Run with a whole team, which has remained the same ever since,” underlines the man who is its president. A little stress before the event? “No, it’s okay, I’m sleeping in Cherbourg, I have a meeting at 6 a.m. at the Town Hall with all the other torchbearers. They will brief us and give us our outfits. » Daniel Simon will carry the flame onto the Lawton-Collins quay at 8:30 a.m., to the encouragement of his family and friends from the A3C. “It’s an honor, a Source of pride. This means a lot to me. I couldn’t dream of a better gift for my 70th birthday! » Clarification: the Clément Simon who will pass on the torch to him is not his son, “I don’t know him! “.

Martine Préel

She has often had the honors of our columns… and rightly so. President Martine Préel and educator-skipper Thierry Fortin embody the Cherbourg association of Passagers du Vent. They have always worked for the well-being of people with mental disabilities, thanks to the virtues of sailing a sailboat. It is the bank which supports the association which wanted to see it represent the values ​​of Olympism: inclusion in society, sport and solidarity. To support it and highlight the work of Passagers du Vent, come to La Cité de la Mer at 8:31 a.m.

Pauline Wolf

It is in the sports pages that his name shone, notably on the occasion of the now legendary Barjo on the winding paths of the Hague, with victories in the 50 km in 2021 and in the 100 km in 2022 (after 11 hr 50 of effort!). Suffice to say that sport runs in the veins of this Tourlaville resident, an eminent representative of Coten’trail, a former footballer for AS Cherbourg and also a fan of cycling outings.

Sandie Kerckhoove

Saint-Lô will today be the stronghold of the horse, with a grand departure from the Horse Riding Center led by rider Eric Levallois. A few minutes later, it was another equine lover who grabbed the torch, at 11:44 a.m., at the Place de l’Église Sainte-Croix. “It’s going to be amazing!” As the English Channel was not in the first stages, I took the time to look at how things were going elsewhere,” confides this masseuse and equine caregiver, at the head of her stables in Champs-de-Losque, a delegated commune. from Rémilly-les-Marais. On a daily basis, Sandie watches over the environment (solar panels, local hay, rainwater harvesting, etc.) and campaigns for a more inclusive world.

“They’ve been ramping things up since January: we’ve had the torch kit to know how to position ourselves and be in the right position, for the official photos and in relation to the flame guardian and the bodyguards around, who ensure the safety of the torch. flame and its bearers. Run 200m, I should be able to do them (laughs). And then we will be carried by the crowd! »

Emma Mary

The last torchbearer from Villedieu-les-Poêles will honor the Paralympic Games. Aged 18, Emma Mary is a great sportswoman, with a disability at the IME (Medico-Educational Institute) of Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët. she is one of the young people who practices adapted pétanque, called “boccia”, but also blowgun and golf. With success because it can boast of a fine track record. Emma also promotes para-sport around her, in schools and among young people in general. This ambassador of sport for all is a fantastic example of investment.

Jennifer Gadbois

At 35, Jennifer Gadbois is one of the happy evening torchbearers on La Merveille! “I was selected via the Banque Populaire: I sent my file, I introduced myself, we had to explain how we represented the Olympic values. I particularly highlighted the fact that I had created a plumbing-heating company 5 years ago in Saint-Malo with my partner, and that we had taken over, in 2023, another company with four employees to train SARL Robillard-Dufrien. »

For the sporty touch, and the note with the Channel? No worries: “I have been secretary of the Polynormande Olympic Club for around ten years. I am therefore involved in the youth cycling race, the Polycadets, which takes place in the morning before the pros. I can’t wait to carry the flame, it’s a Source of pride! »

Victorien Erussard

The penultimate torchbearer of the day, after Daniel Mangeas, is 45 years old and his name is Victorien Erussard. He is a passionate fighter for the environment, being the captain and founder of Energy Observer (first hydrogen boat), the first French ambassador for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Originally from Saint-Malo, he has always felt a deep connection with the ocean. His notable participation in the Route du Rhum at the age of 26, where he brilliantly reached the podium without having spent a night at sea on a boat before, was a real turning point in his life.

Roger Lebranchu

The head and legs. The one who will be 102 years old on July 22 embodies a History of the century. And he tells you this with disconcerting memory and simplicity. This resident of Agon-Coutainville was designated the last bearer of the flame in the Channel, so he will have the tiny privilege of lighting the cauldron at Mont Saint-Michel. “It’s a nice surprise that makes me happy! », confides the one who was “promoted” by his grandson Antoine Alexandre.

Originally from Neuilly-sur-Seine, he discovered rowing at the Courbevoie club at the age of 15. His passion took him to the title of French champion in four-man rowing in 1941, at the age of 19. During the Occupation, he refused to comply with the STO (Compulsory Labor Service) and fled to join Resistance fighters. Arrested in the Pyrenees on June 23, 1943, he was sent to Nazi work and concentration camps (Buchenwald).

After benefiting from the advance of the Americans to escape, Roger Lebranchu took up rowing again and just three years after the end of the war, he represented France at the 1948 London Olympics. Until 1979, he accumulated around twenty world champion titles among veterans. Same success on the professional side since he will manage up to 1,500 workers in his companies in the automobile industry. Today, he lives happy days in Agon-Coutainville… with his wife Jeannine, 98 years old, and not far from their daughters Catherine and Annie. The sequence, around 7:15 p.m., promises to be rich in emotions. “I am often told that I am a force of nature. I played tennis until I was 90 and golf until I was 95! » So it’s not a few meters to walk to the cauldron that will scare him.

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