As the launch of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games approaches, AFP photographers have captured renowned French athletes in famous locations in the French capital.
As the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games officially open on July 26, French athletes posed in emblematic sites of Greater Paris, as part of a spectacular and breathtaking photographic series, produced by photographers from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
For three months from March to June, Franck Fife, Stefano Rellandini and Joël Saget, experienced AFP photographers, took portraits of twenty-five athletes, almost all qualified for the 2024 Olympics, in iconic places in the capital such as such as the Louvre Museum, the Opéra Garnier, the Sacré-Cœur, the Eiffel Tower and even the Palace of Versailles.
“The idea was to take them out of the stadium and do a tourist visit to the emblematic places of Paris,” explained Joël Saget.
This project required them to be meticulous in their organization to carry out all the photoshoots, namely ensuring the availability of the athletes, but also that of the shooting locations so that these very touristy places were empty. In addition, the trio of photographers had to manage the lighting, the set-up and the shooting in environments with very different constraints.
“We had to adapt to the availability of the athletes, who very often train outside of Paris, and that of the museums or monuments. We had to come early in the morning, late in the evening or on the day they were closed,” confided Stefano Rellandini. “These are exceptional places and here, we had them to ourselves for a few moments. We had to get it right and take the right photo. That adds a layer of stress,” he continued.
Here is the selection of our 15 favorite portraits.
nikola karabatic
French handball left back Nikola Karabatic poses in front of France’s most iconic painting, “Liberty Leading the People” by Eugène Delacroix, commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, at the Louvre Museum in Paris on June 3 2024. The 2024 Paris Olympics will be the final goal in the career of this legendary athlete, already a three-time Olympic champion, four-time world champion and four-time European champion.
beryl gastaldello
Swimmer Béryl Gastaldello stands in the Apollo pool, created by Jean-Baptiste Tuby after a drawing by Charles Le Brun, and representing the Greek god Apollo emerging from the sea on a four-horse chariot, at the Palace of Versailles , located in Versailles, southwest of Paris, on April 29, 2024. Medalist on numerous occasions at the French, European or world championships, the Étoiles 92 swimmer will aim for the Olympic podium this summer during the swimming events , which will be held in the La Défense Arena pools.
thibaut collet
Pole vaulter Thibaut Collet poses with Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in the background, being reconstructed after a massive fire in 2019, in Paris on June 3. A few weeks before the Paris Olympic Games, the Grenoble athlete, already qualified for the prestigious competition, displays a very good level of form, since on June 19 he beat his personal best by clearing a bar at 5.95m.
Penelope LEPRévost
Show jumping rider and Olympic champion Pénélope Leprévost stands proudly in the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles, southwest of Paris, on April 8. Preselected by the French Equestrian Federation to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Norman woman ultimately had to withdraw from the event in May, due to the injury of her horse, Bingo del Tondou.
arnaud assoumani
On the evening of April 20 in Paris, Paralympic jumper Arnaud Assoumani was captured in mid-flight in the heart of the Cour Napoléon of the Louvre Museum in front of the pyramid, designed by Ieoh Ming Pei and inaugurated in 1989. Specialist in triple jump and jump in length, this five-time Paralympic medalist is one of the spearheads of French para-athletics. The 38-year-old para-athlete will be keen to shine in front of his audience during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which will open on August 28.
varian pasquet
Varian Pasquet, one of the “caps” of the French men’s rugby sevens team, takes a dive on the famous Place Vendôme in Paris on May 25. Helped by his teammates, including Antoine Dupont who left the French XV during the Olympic Games, the French septist will try to repeat their performance in Madrid at the Stade de France, where the Blues of rugby sevens won their first medal in June gold by beating the Argentinians.
yannick borel
On March 15 in Paris, fencer Yannick Borel confronts an invisible opponent with a sword in the middle of the grand staircase of the Opéra Garnier, which is one of the most visited Parisian monuments, and the first opera and dance company French ballet. Olympic team champion in epee in Rio in 2016, the experienced 35-year-old fencer will aim to win a first individual Olympic medal in Paris, the only trophy missing from his list of achievements.
mathilde petriaux
Field hockey goalie Mathilde Pétriaux leaps down an alley in the Jardin du Palais Royal in Paris on April 12. Ranked 20th in the world, the French women’s field hockey team has already achieved a historic first by qualifying for the Olympic tournament. At the Yves-du-Manoir stadium in Colombes where the events of the Paris Olympic Games will take place, Mathilde Pétriaux and the Bleues will have to achieve a feat to get out of a tough group which includes the Netherlands, Olympic, world and world champions. Europe, Belgium, Germany, Japan and China, nations all ranked in the top 10 in the world.
dimitri pavadé
On May 31 in Paris, Paralympic long jumper Dimitri Pavadé performed a jump in the middle of the Sainte-Chapelle, a precious Gothic-style vestige of the royal palace located on the Île de la Cité. Paralympic vice-champion in long jump in Tokyo in 2021, the Reunion para-athlete qualified at the beginning of June for the Paris Olympics, with a jump of 7m02. If this performance places him 4th in the world in his category, Dimitri Pavadé dreams of jumping much further to win an Olympic medal.
marjorie delassus
Aboard her canoe, Marjorie Delassus moves on the fountain basin of the Jardin du Luxembourg with the French Senate in the background, in Paris, on March 25. Selected for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the céist, who had failed to reach the podium at the Tokyo Olympics, won a bronze medal in May at the European canoe slalom championships in Slovenia. An auspicious performance a few weeks before the Olympic competition.
diane parry
On April 26 in Paris, tennis player Diane Parry poses inside the Oval Room of the Richelieu Library, a heritage site and historic cradle of the National Library of France (BnF), which opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1868. Hope of French tennis, the 21-year-old from Nice will make her first participation in the Olympic tournament, in women’s singles and women’s doubles with Caroline Garcia.
magda wiet-hénin
On April 23 in Paris, Magda Wiet-Hénin practices taekwondo inside the Japanese garden of the Albert Kahn museum, created by the French banker and philanthropist between 1895 and 1910. Multiple medalist at the European and world championships, the Nancéienne 28-year-old has only one goal for the Paris Olympics: to win the first Olympic champion title in the history of French taekwondo.
matthias dandois
On May 6 in Paris, BMX legend Matthias Dandois performs a trick with his bike inside the Musée d’Orsay, a former railway station transformed in 1986 into a museum which houses the largest collection of impressionist paintings in the world. Nine-time flat BMX world champion, the Ile-de-France resident hopes that the demonstration of his discipline at the Paris Olympics will allow it to finalize its arrival as an official sport at the next Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
fierro woman
Surfer Vahine Fierro sets off on the platform of the Arts et Métiers metro station in Paris on March 13. At the end of May, the Tahitian athlete became the first Frenchwoman in history to win the Tahiti Pro on the formidable wave of Teahupo’o, the Paris 2024 Olympic spot located in French Polynesia, where she will be one of the favorites.
florian jouanny
On May 6 in Paris, Paralympic cyclist Florian Jouanny poses under the Bir-Hakeim bridge, a two-level bridge built at the beginning of the 20th century and listed as a historic monument in 1986, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Since he reached the podium three times at the Tokyo Olympics by winning a gold medal in the H2 road race, a silver in the H1-5 team relay and a bronze in the against the clock H2, nothing can stop the Isérois who multiplies the world and European titles. In Paris, he will also defend his titles and his world jerseys during the road race and the team relay.
