English
An evening of emotions on Monday in Lausanne, for the gala celebrating the 50th edition of Athletissima. The list of distinguished guests present at the banquet organized at the SwissTech Convention Center showcased a powerful testament to the event’s influence.
Among the notable hosts were IOC President Kirsty Coventry, Federal Councilor (Confederation Minister) Guy Parmelin, numerous stars of the present (Noah Lyles, Renaud Lavillenie, etc.) and the past (Kevin Young, Sandra Farmer-Patrick, Renaldo Nehemiah, Colin Jackson, Markus Ryffel, Dwight Stones, Stéphane Diagana, etc.), as well as athletics leaders (Jon Ridgeon, Petr Stastny, Christoph Seiler), members of the Vaud authorities… All these individuals emphasized the remarkable work and invaluable legacy of Jacky Delapierre, the founder and outgoing CEO of the meeting.
Approximately 500 guests, belonging to the athletics family, enjoyed a delicious meal punctuated by musical performances by virtuosos Camille and Julie Berthollet, recalling moments of the meeting’s rich history through images.
“You must know the history to appreciate the future,” said Sandra Patrick-Farmer to the microphone. Other speeches were highly appreciated, such as Dwight Stones’, whose involvement was decisive in 1977 to enable the “real” first edition, after the initial attempt to organize the meeting three weeks earlier was literally drowned under a downpour.
Colin Jackson also expressed his admiration for Renaldo Nehemiah, also present in the room, who was the first man to run the 110m hurdles in under 13 seconds. Markus Ryffel handed Jacky Delapierre, a former 800m champion, a beautiful photo showing Jacky trailing Markus in an era meeting. An unseen photo that moved the head of Athletissima. Kevin Young, Stéphane Diagana, and many others expressed with great finesse how much the Lausanne meeting had impacted their careers.
Symbolizing the transition between generations, Renaud Lavillenie also shared a heartfelt testimony, the day before his participation at the City Event pole vault… marking his 16th consecutive appearance at Athletissima. As for Guy Parmelin, he delivered a short, humorous, and lively speech exactly three minutes long, which struck the right chord.
Long live the great Lausanne meeting!