Florent Manaudou, the Frenchman who won the 50-meter freestyle swimming title at the 2012 Olympics, brought the torch onto shore following a 12-day voyage on the 128-year-old three-masted sailing ship Belem, which originated in Greece.
It was given to Rio 2016 400-meter champion and Paralympic track athlete Nantenin Keita. Later, in front of an estimated 150,000 spectators, including President Emmanuel Macron, Marseille-born French rapper Jul lighted the Olympic cauldron for Paris 2024.
“The Games arrive in the lives of the French people, signaling the completion of preparations. Here it is, the flame. We are proud,” Macron remarked.
