At the Grand Palais, and everywhere else,
We can’t say that we don’t know Léon Marchand, quite the contrary. But when we talk about the Toulouse runner-up, who has just brought home his fourth gold medal from the Olympic Games of the century, we can only nod and say: “Yeah, he’s super strong, but we didn’t see the race live, so oh well…” Excuse us for following the spectacle that unfolds before our eyes, whether it’s basketball, fencing, BMX or trampoline.
Fortunately, unlike Vincent Van Gogh, we still have both ears. And we were able to experience the coronation of the star of the Games by listening to the French public who, one eye on the phone, did not fail to greet their champion with a huge ovation. As if they were really witnessing the exploits of Léon Marchand. That’s France. A quick overview of the different sites where we thrilled.
“Marseillaise” and tears of the fencers
The trampoline event has been over for thirty minutes, the ceremony for fifteen. However, a good part of the audience remains glued to their seats. Marchand is going to swim and there is no question of not sharing a moment of communion in the stadium. The swimmer takes off, and there it is, there is shouting and screaming, perhaps more than during the event (except for the passage of the leaping Frenchie). Crushing victory, the room explodes and celebrates the victory of the Frenchman, a privilege that it did not have in its own event. Thank you Marchand, somewhere the Arena de Bercy will also have experienced its French gold medal.
The French fans have just experienced a huge disappointment, with the failure of the French fencers in their quest for a bronze medal. In the mixed zone, in search of the first reactions of the fencers, and while the final between Japan and Hungary is being played, a clamor rises, rises, rises until the explosion at the moment of Léon Marchand’s victory. A Marseillaise is even taken up at the top of his lungs in the wake. While the audience sings the anthem, Luidgi Midelton collapses in tears, as if he has realized that he will not be able to experience such emotion.
“Come on, Leon.”
- At the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille
As the French basketball team prepared to face the German world champion, the fans had their eyes glued to their cell phones. Before the race, “Leon, Leon” and “Allez Leon” came down from the stands, before a dull noise accompanied the entire race of the Toulousain. The ecstasy rose crescendo until the final orgasm, on the touchline of the Chosen One.
- In Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
In BMX, there was a misunderstanding between the announcer, first desperate not to obtain the silence necessary for the good start of the second round of the women’s semi-finals, then convinced that the atmosphere was rising for the Frenchwoman Axelle Etienne thanks to her good work on the microphone. “Go ahead and make some noise, it’s the Games, it only happens in a lifetime.” Except that the French supporters didn’t give a damn and had been shouting the name of Léon Marchand, in the running for his 200m medley final, for a good fifteen seconds. When the swimmer crossed the line in the lead, the crowd exploded with joy before finally falling silent. The race was able to start.