We’ve picked up where we left off just over two weeks ago: At the hot-air balloon cauldron, lit by torchbearers at the opening ceremony . It's returned to earth, the faux fire still burning. This time, the tone is somewhat solemn, with French singer Zaho de Sagazan, and a choir dressed in all black, gathered round the cauldron singing "Sous le ciel de Paris.
" At a pillar nearby, French swimming superstar Léon Marchand picks up a lantern holding a small flame. We’re taken to the Stade France, the country’s national stadium located north of Paris, which has transformed from a site of Olympic track and rugby events into a concert hall. The tempo picks up with a livelier orchestral set.
Before 71,000 spectators, the entrance of the flags has begun, with the parade of athletes from 205 delegations marching along a stage that looks like an avant-garde interpretation of an Olympic medal, Eiffel Tower pieces and all. (In fact, organizers say, it’s meant to symbolize a planisphere — those flat, rotating celestial maps.) For the U.
S., Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead are among the circle of flag bearers . Bronze-medalist pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis and artistic swimmer Evangelia Platanioti are seen waving the Greece flag.
Team USA and Team China stand next to each other, both singing “We Are The Champions” after tying in the gold medal count . A ceremony for the medalists of the women’s marathon that concluded on Sunday — the first time the women's race has clos.