Alexandre Russeil

Alexandre Russeil will carry the Olympic Torch. This is his story:

I discovered handball at the age of 12 years with my classmates and it quickly became a passion of mine, enabling me to open up socially and assert myself personally. It has created long-lasting memories: the success of our little village team on the outskirts of Toulouse, all friends since primary school, which went on to win the regional under-18 championship in 2013, or the refereeing training which, with my refereeing partner, led us to take part in the national championships. Last but not least, 2016 was the year I left home for the first time in my life to study in Paris.

My first instinct was to join the Sorbonne Science handball club. As fate would have it, following the merger of the Sorbonne universities, we had the opportunity to take part in the world university championships. After a selection process, there we were, 24 players who did not know each other, off to Barcelona. Five days later, the men's and women's teams put our university on the map by winning the 2 tournaments and enabling La Sorbonne to win the overall ranking. Beyond the medals and the trophy, it was above all the friendships created that will remain with us forever.

The greatest gift I ever received from my captain was not that he led us to victory, but that he asked me to be godfather to his daughter Thalia, who was born 5 years after the tournament.