It’s a strong image, but also a little disappointing. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet crossed the ramparts of Mont-Saint-Michel with the Olympic flame in his hand. A strong moment for him, symbolic for many, commented on by the Norman astronaut himself on France 3 Normandie.
It’s an image that many were waiting for on this Friday when the Olympic flame passed through the Channel: Thomas Pesquet running on the ramparts of Mont-Saint-Michel with the torch in his hand. The passage of the astronaut was awaited with a lively audience on the bridge…
…but not on the wonder. It was in cathedral silence, wearing bib E062, that the astronaut took over at the foot of the ramparts. He then went around the walkway for 200 meters, the same distance as all the other torchbearers.
As he parted ways with the torch, we felt a slight hint of regret in him at not having been able to enjoy the crowd when he said “Where is the atmosphere there?“.
Then, he passed the torch to Cherbourg handball player Océane Sercien-Ugolin, crowned Olympic champion in Tokyo with Olivier Krumbholz’s French team. It was another Olympic champion, Félicia Ballanger, who had the honor of climbing to the top of the Merveille, very close to the archangel.
Thomas Pesquet then stopped by Pierre-Marie Puaud’s France 3 Normandie microphone to deliver his very first impressions.
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It’s a strong image, but also a little disappointing. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet crossed the ramparts of Mont-Saint-Michel with the Olympic flame in his hand. A strong moment for him, symbolic for many, commented on by the Norman astronaut himself on France 3 Normandie.
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©France Télévisions
Thomas Pesquet: It’s a lot of pride, it’s a commonplace, but in this small moment we are guardians of the values of the Olympic Games. We’re a little alone in the world, it’s still a magical moment, as can happen in the evening, when we have the chance to spend the night in the Mont. We have this space of time travel: running on the battlements, looking at the bay, admiring the architecture…
France 3 Normandy: Did you have time to enjoy the moment?
Thomas Pesquet: It’s really short, I would have liked to run 5 or 10 kilometers. We still experienced this moment as a team, especially on the bus. I was astonished and surprised (to see so many people around Mont-Saint-Michel), even transported to see all this audience. It’s a bit like the Tour de France, but it lasts even shorter.
France 3 Normandy: What message do you want to convey with this symbol?
Thomas Pesquet: The message of the Olympic Games is universality. It’s also that there are lots of things that we don’t learn at school but through sport: mutual help, surpassing oneself, social skills are developed.
We may find Thomas Pesquet, who knows, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26.