Léon Marchand, Antoine Dupont among French Olympians honoured with special ceremony in Toulouse
The two Paris 2024 champions were among a contingent of Olympic and Paralympic athletes present for the festivities on Wednesday evening.
Toulouse's Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic athletes were celebrated with a special ceremony on Wednesday evening.
Toulousian athletes were responsible for 11 of the 64 medals won by Team France at their home Olympics this summer, with swimming sensation Leon Marchand and rugby star Antoine Dupont claiming six (including five golds) between them.
The pair were on hand to take in the applause of thousands of spectators at Place de Capitol as they were welcomed by Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc.
"I've celebrated everywhere except in Toulouse," Marchand told reporters during the ceremony. "Here, it's special."
Marchand, who was born and raised in the Pink City, won four gold medals from four individual finals (including a sensational double gold in the 200m breakstroke and 200m butterfly in the same evening), setting four Olympic records in the process before adding a bronze in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.
After a well-deserved break, the 22-year-old returned to training in his home town on Monday (16 September), setting aside some time to soak in the adoration of his fellow Toulisians on Wednesday night.
There were equally loud cheers for Dupont as he took to the stage. The 27-year-old, who is captain of Toulouse's rugby union squad and the French national team, was a key member of the rugby sevens team that won France's first-ever Olympic medal in the sport at Paris 2024.
The scrum-half now has an Olympic gold medal to go along with his Six Nations title with France 15s, two European Rugby Champions Cups, and four Top 14 victories with club Toulouse, cementing his status as the top men's rugby player in the world.
On Monday, Dupont and the rest of the men's sevens team received the Legion d'Honneur (France's highest civilian honour) from French President Emmanuel Macron in recognition for his contributions both on and off the pitch.
Dupont has also confirmed that he will return to the pitch for Toulouse by mid-October.
