Celebrities and local heroes joined the Olympic torch as it traveled through Aube, carried by over 110 torchbearers. Nadège Smouts, honored in Romilly-sur-Seine, started as a volunteer firefighter at 16 and became a professional firefighter. She teaches children first aid.
Bernard Champenois, a para-cyclist from Troyes, was also featured. He became world road race champion in 1998 and won gold at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.
Referees were recognized for their roles. Benoît Renault, a football fan, was a referee for 14 years and now enjoys underwater hockey. In Dolancourt, Geoffrey Locquard, a basketball referee and coach, carried the torch.
Footballer Gaëtane Thiney, a Paris FC player and French national team member with 58 goals, also participated. She promotes women’s football and supports a cystic fibrosis charity. Isabelle Blin, a nurse and founder of Les Ateliers des Petites Herbes, uses sports to help vulnerable people rebuild their lives.
Television presenter, comedian, singer, and actor Monsieur Poulpe was a torchbearer too. The torch finally reached CUBE, where it was handed to fencer Claude Gamot. Gamot, who competed in the Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960 Olympics, has helped develop fencing, especially among youth. He concluded the Aube relay by lighting the cauldron.
Notably, the Paris 2024 Olympics are scheduled to start on July 26, 2024, and will run until August 11, 2024.
Follow Us:
