Since the start of the Paris Olympics, the atmosphere at the Olympic venues has been at its peak. Everywhere, people are partying alongside the athletes. The French capital has become, for one summer, a carefree city with happy people.
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Noise, fury and passion. As in most arenas where the events of the JOthe Arena Champs-de-Mars bubbled to push the French. From Shirine Boukli to Lucas Mkheidze, including Clarisse Agbénégnou, the French judo supporters truly played their part.
” It was a crazy crowd »
To the point of giving the judoka regrets Clarisse Agbenegnou. ” I think that’s why I’m even more disappointed. I wanted to offer this beautiful audience a beautiful gold medal, said the bronze medalist. They all came to support me, some from very far away. They wanted a gold medal at home. But it was a crazy crowd. »
30 kilometres from the Champs-de-Mars, the Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte is not far behind in encouraging the Blues. The 16,000 seats in the venue that hosts boxing until the end of the quarter-finals always find takers at each session. Even if on the applause meter, it is Sofiane Oumiha, silver medallist in Rio, who has collected the most decibels, the other French athletes, such as Makan Traoré (eliminated) or Djamili-Dini Aboudou (qualified for the semi-finals) are entitled to feverish encouragement.
” It’s like a football stadium »
At La Défense Arena in Nanterre, decibels are often commonplace in a venue that hosts concerts by many global artists all year round. Transformed into an Olympic pool to host the swimming events, the Parisian venue was packed throughout the week, with French supporters coming in large numbers to support the French swimmers, surprising both foreign spectators and the athletes themselves.
This unique atmosphere is still the quadruple French Olympic champion Leon Marchand who speaks about it best: ” It’s like a football stadium actually. It was incredible, it’s very hard to describe. I’ve never experienced it in my life and I don’t think I’ll ever experience it again. The whole room was with me. “, the 22-year-old from Toulouse was surprised after the 400m medley heats.
His compatriot Yohann Ndoye-Brouard couldn’t believe it either: ” It’s even more incredible when you see it. It’s indescribable. At the end of my race, I felt them pushing me. On the last fifteen meters, I could hear them even underwater. “. Excited, the 15,000 supporters present at each race of the French have never sulked in their pleasure since the beginning of the competition, having fun pushing their champions by shouting each time they emerged from the water or even remixing the Marseillaise with ” Merchant, Merchant, let impure blood water our furrows! »
The hill of smiles
We will also remember for a long time this hill of Élancourt, rising to an altitude of 231 meters, the highest point in the Paris region and the scene of the French woman’s dream Pauline Ferrand-Prévotwho won in style for her fourth participation in the Olympic Games.
While the summit offers a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower and La Défense, the French public came out in force to cheer on their champion. We sang The Marseillaise at the top of her lungs throughout the race. We took out the placards, not to mention the wave that her fan club gave her every time the Frenchwoman crossed the line. The moment Pauline Ferrand-Prévot raised her arms, an immense noise flew into the sky, certainly heard for miles around, like on the evening of the 1998 World Cup final. I have never experienced such an atmosphere. “, said the Olympic champion after her cascade of tears on the ceremony podium.
When the Élancourt hill opens in 2025 and the general public comes to set down their wheels for an afternoon of mountain biking, they will certainly remember that “PFP” left his mark there forever, in an almost indescribable joy.
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