Upon arrival at the Paris Media Centre Wednesday morning, torch-bearers Thibault Simon, Guislaine Westelynck and Elodie Clouvel described their wide-ranging emotions as they integrated the relay set to end on a climax with the lighting of the cauldron at the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.
“I am extremely happy and honoured to have carried the flame,” Simon told Inside The Games at the gate of The Carreau Du Temple in the heart of Paris. “It has been a wonderful experience to be here in Paris with my friends and family in front of the press core and city officials and being able to share this feeling with everybody. I feel truly blessed.”
Simon, who is tetraplegic and walks with the aid of an Exo skeleton electrical-powered device designed by his brother Nicolas, was accompanied on the relay by Handisport para official Westelynck, as well asrecent Olympic silver medallist Clouvel, who came in second in the modern pentathlon event at the 2024 Games which ended over two weeks ago in the French capital.
As Paris gears up to recreate the Olympic magic with the Paralympics set to begin on Thursday, the torch relay stirred emotions on the cobbled streets of the French capital. Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor in charge of the Games, watched from nearby at the Paris Media Centre.
“It was truly special, seeing Thibault with his walking skeleton, which could be a game-changer for long-term wheelchair users. It was quite moving,” he told Inside The Games. “We hope to make the skeleton more accessible through public funding. It costs about €40,000 (£34,000), roughly the price of a car. The Paralympics aim to spotlight such issues.”
The scene at the Carreau du Temple was remarkable: Simon took the flame from Westelynck and walked over 20 metres using the Wandercraft prototype, which he had tested for months before the relay. “We’ve been working on this for a while and have other versions in Spain with the Gutman Institute in Barcelona and Gencat, the regional government,” Nicolas explained while accompanying his brother. Simon fiel
