This is an event that is fast approaching in Périgord. On May 22, the flame will pass through the hands of a hundred Périgourdinson a route traced from Bergerac to Périgueux. Between the two, a stopover at Saint-Aulaye-Puymangou, where Olivier Sarres will have the privilege of shining with her for the 200 meters.
“I’m crazy about tennis”
For 27 years now, Olivier has been responsible for the Post Office office in Ribérac during the week. On weekends, he trades the mail for a racket. “I have been crazy about tennis since I was 6-7 years old”he says, smiling from ear to ear. “As soon as I knew that the Post Office was a partner of the Olympic Games and that they were recruiting 140 flame bearers. I immediately registered. We had to introduce ourselves, tell what the Olympics meant to us.”
If the Périgord tennis player is impatient at the idea of the big day, he doesn’t hide a bit of nervousness. “I’m excited, a little stressed, but mostly excited!” His eyes sparkle. At 52, it’s a moment he’s been waiting for his whole life. So just two weeks before this passage, the pressure is mounting. To make everything perfect, Olivier began his mental and physical preparation. “Every week, I usually run between seven and eight miles. It’s true that for some time now, I’ve been imagining myself carrying the flame. I slow down, I raise my arm, I visualize myself!” Visualize so as not to fall, because it would be a shame to make a Alexis Jandard.
A race all in white
At 1.87m tall, Olivier will be the star of his entourage that day. “All the colleagues from the office will come, the customer service managers, the advisors. I am very happy to be in Saint-Aulay because it is part of my postal sector.” On the outfit on the other hand, no worries, it’s the Olympic committee which takes care of it. “We will be all in white, with a sweatshirt, white jogging pants and white shoes. We must not get stained!” In case of rain, the flame bearers will also have their windbreaker. A set that Olivier will have the right to keep afterwards as a souvenir.
