Sailor Seguin Named French Flag Bearer

Damien Seguin won gold at the Athens 2004 Games and silver at the Beijing 2008 Games. © • Jean-Marie Liot

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“I think a sportsman is recognized with medals, but when we carry the flag of our country, it’s a great honour to be recognized not only as a sportsman but as a man.”

French sailor Damien Seguin has competed in two Paralympic Games previously but has never taken part in the Opening Ceremony.

At London 2012, not only will he take part in the opening festivities, he will also carry the French flag into the Olympic Stadium, as announced by the French National Paralympic Committee on 10 July.

Seguin won gold at the Athens 2004 Games and silver at Beijing 2008 in the 2.4mR single-person keelboat event, though he has never had the chance to congregate with the other thousands of other Paralympic athletes in the main stadium.

“It was a shame for me,” Seguin said. “In Athens, I was sailing just after the ceremony, so I didn’t do the Opening

Ceremony. In Beijing, I was far away in the Sailing venue which was far away from Beijing.”

There is no feeling shame anymore. Seguin has now been recognized by his country as one of the best.

“I think a sportsman is recognized with medals, but when we carry the flag of our country, it’s a great honour to be recognized not only as a sportsman but as a man,” Seguin said.

As for the competition, Seguin expects shifty winds on Weymouth Bay, where he hopes to reclaim the top spot on the podium in what he hinted could be his last Paralympics.

“The weather? We expect bad weather in September, but maybe we will have sun. Maybe, maybe,” Seguin joked. “It’s not a problem. Everybody knows that we expect some winds, and everybody is ready for that.”

Seguin, born with one hand, admits to being the favourite in the five-day event after winning the 2012 world title in January, and he is anxious to live up to the hype in what he deems will be a “beautiful competition.”

The 32-year-old, who will travel to Weymouth on 19 August to train one week prior to the Games, will definitely be watched both in the ceremony and on the waters by the 10 to 16-year-olds he teaches in his physical education courses back in France.

“They are fans of me,” Seguin said. “It’s very special for them to have a sports teacher who goes to the Paralympics and wins some medals.”