Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt was a special guest at Tuesday’s unveiling of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch on the river Seine in France.
“I’m very happy to be here,” said the 100m and 200m world record holder. “Paris has always been a city that I enjoyed competing and hanging out in. I’m excited for the Olympics next year. I’ll be here with my family.”
Bolt received the torch from the hands of Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet while surrounded by a hundred French athletes and IOC President Thomas Bach.
Designed by the visionary Mathieu Lehanneur, the torch captures the mesmerizing reflection of the iconic Eiffel Tower, evoking a sense of serene tranquility and peaceful energy.
Lehanneur, the mastermind behind the concept, revealed that the torch’s symmetrical form embodies the spirit of equality among athletes.
Unraveling the masterpiece of craftsmanship of the torch’s design
Crafted with lightweight polished steel and with a champagne colour, the torch’s lower half features a relief pattern that mimics the movement of the Seine, along which the opening ceremony will be held before more than half a million spectators.
The designer, Mathieu Lehanneur, passionately expressed his desire for the torch to convey a visual representation of the upcoming Paris 2024 Games.
“I wanted to move away from the torch appearing as an object of conquest,” designer Mathieu Lehanneur told a news conference a year ahead of the Paris Games. He added that designing the torch proved infinitely more technical than he imagined at the outset.
On April 16, the torch will be ignited at the ancient grounds of Olympia in Greece, the birthplace of the Games.
The flame will begin its journey, marking the commencement of the eagerly awaited Paris Games, set to unfold in the French capital on July 26 next year.
