Olympic Opening Ceremony: Cathy Freeman’s arch rival, Maree-Jose Perec lights flame in Paris

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Olympic Opening Ceremony: Cathy Freeman’s arch rival, Maree-Jose Perec lights flame in Paris

France has celebrated the commencement of the 2024 Games in Paris with some of their sporting royalty including Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner lighting the amazing cauldron on behalf of their nation.

Australians will remember Perec as the arch-rival of our own ‘golden girl’ Cathy Freeman during her competing days at Olympic and world championship level.

Perec famously withdrew seemingly on the eve of Freeman’s historic 400m gold medal-winning run in Sydney in 2000, immortalising her as arguably our nation’s most famous Olympian.

Camera IconTorch bearers French Athlete Marie-Jose Perec and French Judo Practitioner Teddy Riner light the Olympic Cauldron at the Gardens of the Tuileries. Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Paris 2024 organising committee president Tony Estanguet said Perec and Riner were part of a select group of contenders and were only informed of their selection very close to the ceremony.

Perec, 56. is widely considered to be France’s best Olympian of all time, with three gold medals across two Games in athletics.

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Riner is a French judoka who has won eleven World Championship gold medals, the first and only judoka (male or female) to do so, and three Olympic gold medals (two individual, one team).

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