Saint-Quentin weighs in to celebrate boxing
The French Boxing Federation organized a collective relay for the fans of the discipline in Saint-Quentin. A true local and national institution, the city’s boxing club owes its reputation to iconic figures such as the Thomas/Frénois family. This group of four men represented the French national team on many occasions and over many generations. The team relay captain Jerome Thomas, a bronze and then silver medalist at the Sydney and then Athens Games, led this relay along with twenty other torchbearers. Among them were his brothers Cyril ThomasFrench champion and then EBU European featherweight champion, as well as Guillaume and Philippe Frenoisalso boxers and key figures in the city’s sports scene.
Other figures from the sport were also represented, including Bernard Delarueformer professional boxer and trainer, for whom boxing is more than just a recreational activity and has become a real school of life. Morad Maizou and Marceau Pourriertwo professional boxers were also present Charlotte Bonneterreclub executive, athlete at Saint-Quentin and volunteer at the Paris 2024 Games.
Olympians, Paralympians and members of the general public carry the torch
Clara Bastos was the first torchbearer on Wednesday morning in Château-Thierry. The teacher, athletics enthusiast, podium finisher and 100m hurdler at the city club kicked off proceedings just before 9am. Elite athletes also lit up the area throughout the day, especially in Soissons thanks to the presence of Erwann Le Pechoux, fencer, four-time world champion and team Olympian along with Maxime Pauty, Enzo Lefort and Julien Mertine. Para-athlete Cédric Denuzière, who is the French champion in the PTS3 category and will take part in his first Paralympic Games in August in Paris, closed the celebrations in Laon at midnight. Armenian shooter Elmira Karapetianworld pistol shooting champion in 2023 in Brazil, carried the Olympic Torch to Villers-Cotterêts.
At the end of the day in Saint-Quentin, two athletes separated by nearly 75 years shared a final torch kiss before lighting the cauldron. On the eve of his 100th birthday, Felix Fieveza regional cross-country legend, the first veteran champion in the Aisne in 1977 and the Olympic Marathon champion in Melbourne in 1956, passed the Olympic Torch to Emilie Machut, member of the Frenck kickboxing committee and several times French champion as well as European champion, to light the cauldron in the celebration area. It was a wonderful image that featured all generations of athletes bringing this symbolic day to an end.
As every day, many members of the general public with inspiring stories to tell joined the celebrations. In Laon, there was Marie Delatour, French para-triathlon champion in the PTS4 category, and Julie Roggemanwho competes in the women’s rugby league and mixed league, as well as the French police rugby team. Maxim Cattier cheered by the crowds at Monampteuil. This table tennis enthusiast is the coach of his club and does his best to take the youngsters he trains to the highest level. Jules Laportepioneer in adapted rowing and French champion in the J16 event that combines disabled and able-bodied athletes in 2023, carried the Olympic Flame to Saint-Quentin.
Tomorrow will be Thursday 18th July, which means it is the 60th leg of the Olympic Torch Relay Tour in France. It will stop in the Oise region, the gateway to the Île-de-France region. The procession will pass through Compiègne and past her mansion, a former royal and imperial residence, before heading to Beauvais for the end-of-day celebrations.
