'All love' for France's Paralympic flagbearer and gold medallist Hanquinquant

PARIS, France - France's Alexis Hanquinquant started the Paris Paralympics by carrying his country's flag and then lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony, he finished it Monday by winning his second gold medal in the men's triathlon.

Speaking after defending the men's PTS4 title he won at Tokyo 2020, Hanquinquant described the past week of his life as having been "not too bad at all".

"They've been the perfect Games for me," the 38-year-old said.

"Carrying the flag, lighting the cauldron and winning that gold medal. It's a winner. It's not too bad at all."

And Hanquinquant drank in every moment of the final straight of his race, stopping briefly before the finish line on Pont Alexandre III to savour the moment.

"I knew I had a lead over second place," he explained.

"Honestly, finishing a second or a minute ahead wasn't what was important, it was winning.

"And I told myself that I could allow myself the luxury of stopping and enjoying it. Because in the end, a sprint race goes too fast."

Hanquinquant finished in 58min 1sec, ahead of Carson Clough of the USA and Spain's Nil Riudavets Victory.

"I feel great and it's incredible to have pulled off such a superb race," the Frenchman said.

"All the ingredients were there for a great race.

"My family is here. It means a lot to me to have won."

- 'Anything is possible' -

In the Paris Games' opening ceremony last Wednesday, Hanquinquant was selected alongside Nantenin Keita to be one of France's flagbearers during the athletes parade at Place de la Concorde.

The duo then closed out the ceremony in the adjoining Tuileries Gardens by dipping the Paralympic flame into the cauldron, accompanied by three other French Paralympians, and sending the now-iconic cauldron into the sky to mark the start of the 2024 Games.

But before that, Hanquinquant was a former France boxing champion, having won a national title in 2010.

Then just two months after winning his title he got injured in a workplace accident. A year later, he requested to have his right leg amputated.

Equipped with a prosthetic leg, Hanquinquant took up the para-triathlon in 2015 and now nine years down the line, he is a double Paralympic champion.

"Quite simply, I'm an example that anything is possible in life," he said.

"I started from nothing and today I'm at the pinnacle of Paralympism.

"Believe in your dreams. One day, I dreamt that I would do it. But not many people believed. And I fought. Every day, I fight for it.

"With hard work and a bit of persistence, you can achieve great things. All I wish for you is to dream and enjoy it. Because the day I realise a dream like today, it's just completely crazy."

Looking to the future, the father of two was understandably upbeat.

"I don't know what anyone could wish me for the rest of my life," Hanquinquant said.

"To enjoy myself, to keep smiling. Because I think that's something that comes naturally to me.

"And life is simply beautiful. All fun and love." - AFP