U.S. First Lady Jill Biden engaged with American athletes at a Paris Olympic training center, extending her well wishes to rugby and track and field competitors. She also joined in a stationary relay drill with the runners.
In Paris ahead of the Summer Games’ opening ceremony, Biden will watch athletes parade on boats along the Seine River. Additionally, she will attend a reception with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, at the Élysée Palace. Amid political upheaval in Washington and President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign on hold, Jill Biden took the chance to interact with U.S. athletes’ families and visit the competitors during their training sessions.
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“As they leap and sprint and turn, America’s athletes aren’t only propelled by the years of sweat and sacrifice they’ve poured into their training,” she said. “Your love is also there, pushing them further, helping them go faster, lifting them higher as they reach for gold.”
Following her speech at the residence of U.S. Ambassador to France, Denise Bauer, Jill Biden traveled to a training center in the northern Paris suburbs. There, she visited with athletes from the U.S. women’s rugby team and track and field team. She engaged warmly with the athletes, offering hugs, taking photos, and participating in a track drill, where she helped with baton exchanges.
Biden initiated the relay drill, standing while passing the baton to runners who practiced swift handoffs in quick succession. After the opening ceremony, Biden is scheduled to speak at a brunch celebrating the start of the Games and the upcoming 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined Biden on her Paris visit.
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