they carried the flame to Gironde, they tell

Michel Andrieux. The French rower, double Olympic medalist, crossed the Lac des Dagueys carrying the flame on an Eight. “It’s a great moment of emotion, especially since it’s happening here, on an Olympic pool. It’s a different emotion compared to the birth of my children or the Olympic title but it is strong. I also thank the mayor of Libourne for proposing my candidacy. And then it’s a spotlight on our sport, rowing. »

Beatrice Aoustin. Holder of the adapted sport world record for hammer throwing, she lit the torch in the UCPA Aqua Stadium in Mérignac in front of 1,200 schoolchildren, before heading towards the Robert Brettes stadium, filled with 1,500 students. “It was a gift from the town hall of Mérignac. At first I said to myself: ”But no I’m not going to do it, I’m sure it’s a dream”. And then I saw my first name on the newspaper. I was surprised, I rubbed my eyes to see if it was a dream. Even there, I see all these people, am I coming out of a dream or? (laughs). Before coming here, I was calm, but seeing so many people around, I admit that it stressed me out. It was an unforgettable moment, truly magical.”

Cindy Dumain. “I had the opportunity to be selected by my company Sanofi where I work in Ambarès. At the time I found out, I didn’t yet know that I was going to have a baby, so it’s even more exceptional to have done this relay, in the Bat3 on the Garonne, between the Cité du vin and Lormont . It will be a hell of an anecdote to tell him! There was an indescribable surge of love here. »

Mehdi Benjelloun. : “I feel like I’m making my contribution to the family: my grandfather was president of a sports federation in Morocco, my father warded off illness and two club feet in the 1960s there : that did not prevent him from becoming Moroccan motocross champion! If I work at Sanofi in the Paris region, I grew up in Bordeaux, my mother is from Lormont and Ambarès, and they were there with my partner Margaux: the dream! »

Boris Darlet, president of the French Roller and Skateboard Federation and former player of the French roller hockey team, was the second torchbearer of the flame route in Pessac. “It was magical, a great moment of communion (her bright eyes begin to fill with tears., Editor’s note). Everything falls back. I was enormously touched by the children, by all these happy faces. It’s strange to think that I carried the flame, this powerful symbol of peace, I never projected myself as being a potential torchbearer, I reserved that more for active athletes. It goes by quickly but it’s an unforgettable moment. »

Maëlys PinoutPessacaise and 15^e bearer of the torch relay in Pessac: “Just before the passage, the adrenaline rose to 100%. I felt like I had fans for a day, it was incredible. I have always played sports – swimming, basketball, judo and muay-thai boxing today – I had applied to be a carrier for the sporting side. But having Crohn’s disease, I also wanted to carry the flame for all people who have an invisible disability, to show them that we too can do it. It is an unforgettable experience that I could tell about to my future children and grandchildren. »

Stéphanie Goulinat, first torchbearer at the Bouscat racecourse “It’s incredible, a once-in-a-lifetime chance. it represents all the work I have been doing for years to make sport inclusive and accessible to all. I passed the baton in front of my children, my son’s sports class. This day will remain engraved in my memory. There was the birth of my children, my marriage and the carrying of the Olympic flame. »