Between them, they have 10 Olympic or Paralympic titles, and yet, no medal matches the honor they achieved last summer during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “It's stronger than a gold medal“, even dares Marie-José Pérec, triple golden in Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996). The latter, but also the para triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, the para table tennis player Fabien Lamirault, licensed at Marseille Provence TTH, or the para tennis player Charles Noakes lit the cauldron or extinguished the flame. They tell the story behind the scenes of this unique moment.
“And there I hear the voice of Tony Estanguet…”
For almost everyone, it all started with an intriguing phone call. An unknown number for some, a contact in their directory for others, and a familiar voice for everyone, a harbinger of a great moment to experience in the hours that follow. The boss of the Games, Tony Estanguet, was the keeper of the secret until the end. He even reserved the right to play on the nerves of the candidates for the highest honor. It was only on the morning of Friday July 26 that the triple Olympic champion picked up his phone to announce the news to Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, the happy duo elected for the opening ceremony of the Olympics. “The day before, Tony had contacted me saying that he was going to come back to me the next day around 9:30 a.m., retraces Pérec. On the big day I'm in front of my phone: 9:30 a.m. nothing. 9:35 a.m. nothing. 9:40 a.m. it finally strikes…“From then on, “the Gazelle” knows perfectly well what role she will occupy, unlike the Paralympic athletes during the other ceremony.
A month later, Wednesday August 28, again, Estanguet is on the phone, but the mystery is even deeper. “I receive a call from an unknown number, I don't pick up but I listen to the voice message they leave me, and there I hear the voice of Tony Estanguet…, remembers Fabien Lamirault. I called back directly, he explained to me that he would like me to be part of the event without revealing too much my level of involvement but I accepted, I am really happy to be part of the festivities.” Same process for Alexis Hanquinquant, surprised to be part of the system. On July 26, he had already participated in the final torch relay at the Tuileries and above all he was the standard bearer of the French delegation that same evening in the company of Nantenin Keïta, also contacted.We are very happy, but we have absolutely no idea that we are going to light the basin, we are convinced that we cannot do everything.“
Charles Noakes was much less expectant eleven days later. For the closing ceremony, he is one of the five athletes chosen with Frédéric Villeroux (blind football), Ugo Didier (para swimming), Gloria Agblemagnon (para athletics) and Aurélie Aubert (boccia) to extinguish the flame once and for all. Questioned by a member of the organization when getting off the bus in the passageways of the Stade de France, the para badminton player was no less surprised. “I was in my thoughts, and then I see this person talking to me, who tells me that I am going to have an exceptional moment…“
“I’m afraid my son will tell one of his friends”
Role known or not, the instructions are the same for everyone: secrecy must be absolute, while the whole of France has been searching for months for the identity of the person who will light the cauldron. The start of a game of poker-liar for those mainly concerned with their intimates. Marie-José Pérec still informed her companion, the former freestyle skier Sébastien Foucras (silver winner at the Nagano Games in 1998, Editor's note), but is taking much more precautions for another member of her family.
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