PARIS — Since they haven’t had Les Jeux in this town for a century, it’s understandable that the residents may be startled that the home team is near the top of the medal table behind the Americans and Chinese. That’s how things stand midway through the Games of the XXXIIIrd Olympiad, with France already having collected 44 medals, a dozen of them gold. That’s 11 more than the French won in Tokyo last time and the country’s best showing in 124 years.
With another week to go, the jour de gloire continues and the City of Light is in an exuberant mood. “It is a beautiful adventure,” declared Teddy Riner, the supersized (as in 6-foot-8-inch, 311 pounds) judo fighter who won two gold medals. “The Games at home are something to live.
” Advertisement The Parisians, who originally were skeptical of all this five-ringed fuss, definitely are living this quadrennial fete. The buzz in the brasseries and bistros on both sides of the Seine is palpable. Since many of the venues are within walking distance of one another in the city center — from the Place de la Concorde, to Invalides, to the Grand Palais, to the Champ de Mars — news of each triumph spreads quickly.
Ordinarily Paris goes dormant in August with “Ferme Aout” signs in the windows of shuttered shops and cafes. This summer thousands of locals, dreading snarled traffic and overstuffed subway cars, bailed out early for the beach. But those who stayed have been swept up in Gallic pride as the medals keep p.