In pictures – “Félix Lebrun is a normal person” – Libération

2024-08-03 21:54:37

In Libé’s eyes

Photographer Denis Allard presents impressions and images for “Libération”. Enjoy a week of meetings with athletes at the Stade de France, Grand Palais, Place de la Concorde…

Published on August 3, 2024 at 11:54 pm

Lucie Schoonheere On the Concorde spot, the speakers spit out great sound and the audience is as cool as the girls do ollies. The security is calm, we can take pictures closely. The youngest member of the French delegation (14 years old) is as phlegmatic as skateboarders from around the world, without any trouble. Paris, July 28.

Denis Allard / DR

Parking is difficult in sports, access is very controlled. For the rugby sevens at the Stade de France, Antoine Dupont was interviewed by all the TV stations after each game. So, that day, he went back to the locker room alone, after the others. Saint-Denis, July 24, 2024.

Denis Allard / Liberty

Simone Biles’ fame goes far beyond the gym mats. We know when we see Tom Cruise or Snoop Dog in the stands. I never expected to be able to get close to athletes. Next to the application, photo positions are accepted by colleagues. But between the two roads, they observe each other from a distance while doing some rides. Paris, July 28, 2024.

Denis Allard / DR

In sports, the position of photographers is envied by fellow editors, who are placed far away, in the stands. The perception of emotion is different. During her fight for the bronze medal, I felt Clarisse Agbégnénou’s disappointment because she did not qualify for the final. Even during his ippon that gave him the bronze medal, his gaze was elsewhere, full of bitterness. Paris, July 30, 2024.

Denis Allard / DR

Félix Lebrun (17 years old), he is a fan, a normal person, one of the weekend’s competitions as you see a lot in the Olympics. Like Alexis’ brother (20 years old) he smiles when you give him his and cries when he loses it. Real entertainment. I chose to stand behind his coach with whom he exchanged glances of different emotions after each point. It took three games to keep his eyes on the ball. Not easy with glasses! Paris, August 1.

Denis Allard / Liberty

This is the first fight of the day that will take Teddy Riner to the gold. The fight was very long and lasted until the “gold standard” (overtime). Three punishments for his opponent give him the victory: when he leaves, he is wet with sweat, we feel tired and the next fight is in an hour. Are you hoping to give up a lot of energy soon? He went to the locker room. Paris, August 2

Denis Allard / Liberty

It was not easy to meet Léon Marchand, who was in exile in the United States. He is one of the stars of the French delegation and I am happy to see him for the first time. When he reached the lake, I saw that he still had the appearance of a young man, his strength was not only physical. The art of the swimmer is to succeed in correcting the resistance of the water to make its way through the element, thanks to the subtlety of its movements. Coming out of the water, the last ones fell to the ground, we won the race. Paris, July 30.

Denis Allard / Liberty

There were places of medals for the French destroyers, so I went to the Grand Palais. The game is an art-loving sport, all with physical choreography during the attack of one of the two opponents. Despite everything, I felt like I was photographing the Avengers and the inability to photograph the emotions on their masked faces was very frustrating. Paris, August 2.

Denis Allard / Liberty

Pictures of current events, everyday life, art or great names in the history of photography… Find them in the “In pictures” section of the site Release it the choice of the newspaper’s photo department, which favors unique, successful or surprising characters. And because it has always been a concern Release italso explore our Pictures pages in the weekend edition.