Monaco’s Prince Albert II has thrown his full support behind the Principality’s six Olympians as they compete in Paris, cheering on his countrymen and women as they seek glory for the Monegasque nation.
As a former Olympian and the current President of the Monegasque Olympic Committee, there was never any doubt that Prince Albert would miss a chance to witness the efforts of the six young sportsmen and women from Monaco at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Having already made his presence felt at a series of high-profile events in the French capital over the last few days, Prince Albert has since been photographed attending competition events as well as greeting Monaco’s rowing hopeful Quentin Antognelli.
On Monday 29th July, for example, Prince Albert was seen watching the swimming trials at the Paris La Défense Arena. That day, Monegasque swimmer Théo Druenne competed in the 800-metre freestyle heats, where he placed seventh.
“I started at my pace… I tried to accelerate from the 400m mark, but I lacked a lot of references. Technically, I wasn’t at my best,” said Druenne following the race. “Ultimately, I optimised what I know how to do, considering the small issues I encountered during preparation.”
Meanwhile, Monaco’s table tennis player Xiaoxin Yang was facing challenges of her own. Despite a comeback attempt, she was knocked out in the first round against Czech player Hana Matelová.
Following her defeat, Yang said, “I am a bit disappointed. I didn’t play very well. I put a bit too much pressure on myself.”
Prince Albert had some words of encouragement to share, saying, “Unfortunately, there are days when things don’t go our way, but we must continue and move forward. I believe good results are to be achieved for the athletes still in the competition… We will be there to encourage them and help them give their best.”
See more: Lisa Pou and Théo Druenne to lead Monaco’s Olympic athletes in Paris
Thankfully, there has been better news in the rowing discipline following Antognelli’s fierce efforts during the Men’s Single Sculls quarterfinals on Tuesday 30th July, where he placed fifth.
“I was focused on myself more than on others. I tried to keep my rhythm and accelerate at the end. I’m quite happy, as my second half was faster than the first,” said Antognelli, who finished 15th at the 2020 Tokyo Games, after the race. “These will be high-level races. I’ll fight for the best possible place. I still aim to do better than in Tokyo, but it will be very tough, given the competition.”
On wednesday 31st July, Quentin Antognelli competed in the C/D semifinal for rowing single sculls but did not finish in the top three. The race was won by the American Plihal, followed by the Bulgarian Vasilev and the Paraguayan Insfran, who qualified for Final C. Antognelli placed 5th and will compete in Final D on Friday 2nd August, aiming for a ranking between 19th and 24th place.
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Photo credits: Stéphane Maggi / Comité Olympique Monégasque