relive the passage of the French delegation behind its flag bearers Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keïta

Para-athletes from around the world made their entrance on Wednesday, August 28, at Place de la Concorde. As protocol dictates, the delegations paraded in alphabetical order and it was the French delegation, the host country, that brought up the rear to the tune of CChamps-Elyséesby Joe Dassin.

Nantenin Keïta and Alexis Hanquinquant, the French flag bearers, followed by the French delegation, appeared last, after a parade that began at the bottom of the Champs-Elysées. Both elected by the para-athletes of the French delegation, they have already won gold at previous Games and hope to repeat the feat at home.

Alexis Hanquinquant won gold at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games in para-triathlon. Six-time world champion and undefeated in his category since 2017, he is the big favorite this year. However, the 38-year-old has not always been passionate about triathlon. Before a work accident on a construction site in 2010, which led to the amputation of his right leg three years later, he was the French full-contact champion. It was to rebuild himself that he threw himself headlong into triathlon after his amputation, obtaining results from his first competitions.

Nantenin Keïta, she, was gold medalist in the 400m at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016. The runner competes in the T13 category, reserved for para-athletes with a visual impairment. The champion, who has albinism, is also co-captain of the French para-athletics team with sprinter Trésor Makunda. This year, for these home Games, she hopes to bring home one more medal for the French team.