The closing seconds of Rosa (Rosinha) Mota's winning marathon run at the 1988 Seoul Olympic games
Portuguese Olympic champion Rosa Mota, affectionately nicknamed "nossa Rosinha" by her fans, described as "unforgettable" the sharing of the flame of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games with her compatriots.
The lit torch has been traveling through the streets of the French capital since July 14, reported SIC Notícias (July 15).
Rosa Mota, 66, won the gold medal in the women's marathon at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. At the previous Olympic Games, the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won bronze in the marathon, while Portugal won its first gold medal in any category with Carlos Lopes in the men's marathon.
Mota often is often considered the greatest female marathoner of all-time, according to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games website. She ran 21 marathon races between 1982 and 1992 and won 14 of them. She is also the only person, as of 2017, to hold concurrent European, World and Olympic marathon titles.
For the upcoming Paris Games, the Porto native received the flame, near the Eiffel Tower, in a ceremony attended by hundreds, with many Portuguese emigrants hoisting the red and green of the Portuguese flag above the heads of the crowd. This is the third time that the marathoner has carried the torch.
Rosa Mota holding the Olympic torch (Photo by AFP)
"This is a moment that says so much. To athletes and non-athletes, it is emotional to carry the Olympic flame. Of all the Olympic symbols, the flame is the one that fascinates me most and being able to share this flame with all Portuguese people is something that will be unforgettable for me and for those who were here with me," said the country's first female gold medalist.
"I would like to dedicate it to my dear country in this unifying moment."
The Olympic flame symbolizes continuity between the ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, it is lit at Olympia, Greece, after which begins the Olympic torch relay. The run ends with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening of the Olympic Games. The flame continues to burn for the duration of the Games until it is extinguished during the closing ceremony.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are scheduled to begin on Friday, July 26.
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