🇫🇷 Kevin Piette, paraplégique depuis un accident, est entré dans l’histoire aujourd’hui en portant la flamme olympique avec son exosquelette ! 👏
— Le Média Positif 🍀 (@LMPositif) July 23, 2024
🎥 wandercraftofficialpic.twitter.com/HTy5MrYE6Z
The Olympic torch relay has been going on since April, when the flame was lit at Mt. Olympus in Greece. It is a traditional honor to carry the torch, and many athletes, political figures, and celebrities of all kinds have done it. As the torch nears the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Paris, the more prestigious the torchbearers are. The torchbearers this year will include Snoop Dogg. The final torchbearers who lights the Olympic flame is still a mystery, and it's always a parlor game to guess which host nation superstar athlete it will be by process of elimination.
French athlete Kevin Piette is one of the 2024 torchbearers. Piette became a paraplegic 11 years ago, and will compete in the Paralympics in tennis. He is also a "test pilot" for the French company Wandercraft that developed the Atalante X, a self-balancing walking exoskeleton designed to be used by people with disabilities. Tuesday, Piette became the first Paralympian to participate in the torch relay wearing an exoskeleton.
Piette's Instagram post expressed his pride and gratitude to those who came out to show support (in French). -via Laughing Squid