After Vendée, the Olympic flame was celebrated with great fanfare in the neighboring department of Loire-Atlantique. From Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire to La Baule via Vertou, the relay continued despite the refusal of Nantes, prefecture and regional capital, to welcome it. Here are the best moments.
The day started in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, in the southern suburbs of Nantes, where the flame was lit. Without carrying the flame, ex-star handball player Luc Abalo was present to sign autographs. Former Paralympic swimmer Philippe Revillon was the first bearer, before an unusual event occurred: Raphaël Vriet, also an employee of Paris 2024, proposed to his partner while he was taking part in the relay.
It continued in the town of Ingrandes-Le Fresne, near Ancenis then again on the borders of Nantes, in Vertou then in Vallons-de-l’Erdre, where a breakdance show was held. She then reached the communes of Basse-Goulaine and Ligné, before the finale in La Baule, on the coast, with a choice cast. Right in the middle of Roland-Garros, the collective relay put tennis in the spotlight. Initially planned, Édouard Roger-Vasselin was unable to hold his place. And for good reason, he played in a quarter-final of the mixed doubles tournament. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, retired for two years and now a consultant for Prime Video, was on the other hand very much there.
The 1998 world champion Christian Karembeu, former player of FC Nantes, succeeded his daughter Inès, before other celebrities such as the Olympic handball champion Cléopâtre Darleux or the actress Virginie Ledoyen, also took turns under the eyes of the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. The relay ended around 7:30 p.m., when rider Roger-Yves Bost, gold medalist in Rio, lit the cauldron in front of a large audience.
The Olympic flame will continue its journey on Thursday in Morbihan, from Lorient to Vannes.
