“It’s ten times more than I had imagined”… French athletes supported like never before by their public

Since the start of the Paralympic Games on Wednesday, spectators have been flocking to the competition venues to cheer on the French athletes. The enthusiasm is unprecedented.

The fervor of the Olympic Games has given way to that of the Paralympics. Since the opening ceremony on Wednesday, August 28, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have been marked, like two weeks earlier with the Olympic Games, by an exceptional fervor. Whether at the Stade de France for athletics, at Paris La Défense Arena for swimming, or at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome for track cycling, everywhere, the support of the French public is unconditional.

Support so strong that it surprised the athletes of the French delegation. “Before the Games, I imagined a crazy atmosphere, but [ce qu’il se passe] is ten times more than I imagined, Antoine Praud, bronze medalist in the 1,500 m (T46 category) on Saturday, spoke to France Télévisions on Saturday. The audience carried me all the way.”

“As soon as I entered the track, the stadium was in meltdown. In the final straight, my ears were ringing because the crowd was so vocal.”

Antoine Praud, bronze medalist in the 1,500 m (T46 category)

to France Televisions

In the final, the Frenchman ran in front of 70,000 spectators in the morning session, a record attendance for a para-athletics event in France. “I have never run at the Stade de France or in stadiums like this, so full, with so many French people there to encourage me even though they don’t know me. I hope I brought a moment of joy to everyone who was there or behind their television,” savors Antoine Praud.

The same feeling was felt at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome, where the atmosphere was also more than boiling to support the French athletes. If the foreign spectators – British, Irish, American, among others – gave voice, it was nothing compared to the French, Sunday September 1st. From the qualifications of the women’s individual pursuit (3,000m, category C5), Marie Patouillet and Heïdi Gaugain were enthusiastically encouraged by the public.

Despite the stifling heat of the velodrome, it was impossible not to get chills. “This is the first time [que je concours avec une telle ambiance]. We are so not used to having this in para. Thanks to the public”, reacted Heidi Gaugain, moved, after qualifying for the final, facing Marie Patouillet, who would win Paralympic gold a few minutes later.

“With an audience like that, we can’t let go, supported Marie Patouillet, Thursday August 29, after her silver medal in the 500m C4-5 time trial, the first French podium of the Games. There was my whole family, the doctors I replace [elle est médecin généraliste dans le civil] and a whole bunch of people who drew my face everywhere, on their T-shirts… It carried me so much and it’s incredible, because as Paralympic athletes, we’ve never experienced that. It’s magical.”

But for some athletes, it was necessary to learn to manage this support. “There were a lot of emotions and that made us tense,” “Recognized Nicolas Jouanserre, wheelchair basketball player, after France’s first match against Canada (83-68 defeat), Friday, August 30. For him too, playing in such an atmosphere was a big first, being more used to rooms with a maximum of a few hundred people. “As soon as we scored a basket, we jumped [face au bruit]. We need this. We saw that we were supported, now we have to put ourselves a little more in our bubble and play our basketball,” he added.

These atmospheres will mark history, believes Timothée Adolphe, a blind athlete specializing in the 400 m (T11). During his heats on Friday August 30, the entire Stade de France shouted his name as soon as he entered the competition. Enough, once again, to give you goosebumps. “So far, London 2012 has been a reference, but I think that France will leave its mark on the history of the Games.” And thus mark a turning point in parasport in France.