Axel May and Martin Lange, edited by Gauthier Delomez / Photo credits: HERVIO Jean-Marie / KMSP / KMSP via AFP
Who will be the two French athletes who will be flag bearers during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? A few days ago, the French national Olympic committee revealed its selection criteria, which are quite strict. Interested athletes must have already competed in the Olympic Games, and not have already been designated flag bearer in a previous edition. Criteria which therefore rule out potential headliners like Kylian Mbappé, Clarisse Agbégnénou or even Teddy Riner.
Concretely, each Olympic federation can propose two candidates, a man and a woman, and it will then be up to the athletes themselves to vote. One of them declares her candidacy on the show The studio of legends on Europe 1: it is Mélina Robert-Michon. At 44, the discus throwing specialist will be the oldest member of the French delegation.
“Show athletes that there are lots of ways to achieve an Olympic medal”
“It would be an immense source of pride for me, I don’t even know if I have a word strong enough to describe the pleasure it could be,” already relishes the athlete, silver medalist at the Rio Games in 2016, at microphone of Europe 1. “At the federation level, we are lucky to have several potential athletes, but among women, it should be me”, adds Mélina Robert-Michon, who should indeed be proposed by the French Federation athletics to take on the role of flag bearer on July 26.
The athlete, French champion 23 times in her career, is also counting on the historic weight of her sport to put all the chances on her side. “The record is not a discipline that is very well known, but it is one of the oldest. There is a symbolic side which is nice.”
“And then, I have an atypical background,” continues Mélina Robert-Michon, “so it’s also important to show athletes that there are plenty of ways to achieve an Olympic medal. who achieve it in their first Games, it took me four Olympics before getting a medal, but I got it anyway, so it’s a source of pride.” For the discus throwing specialist, carrying the flag is “a real opportunity to show that there is no set path. Everyone has their own path, and if it is different from the others, so be it. The goal , it’s about getting there.”