Olympic moment of the day: French race-walker sets a personal best after birth of his daughter
Aurélien Quinion, a French race-walker who competed on Thursday, had a dramatically different experience ahead of the 20km final.
Quinion instead was at his wife’s bedside at 2 a.m. Paris time as she gave birth to their baby girl, Charlie. The French athlete eventually got about 30 minutes of something approaching sleep before getting in a taxi and heading to the race, less than six hours after Charlie entered the world.
In a statement released by the French Athletics Federation, Quinion said mother and daughter were both doing well.
“Everything went well, the little one is super beautiful, with beautiful eyes. Her mother is doing very well. That’s what matters most. I couldn’t be happier, it’s total bliss,” he said.
Quinion finished ninth in the event, setting a personal best of 1:19:56.
The result, he said, was “something strong, for an amateur who is gradually becoming a professional. I am living the best moments of my life. I could have said that after this, we can die in peace, but now that I have a little girl, absolutely not! We are going to take care of her and give her the best life possible.”
He celebrated his finish with the famous thumb-sucking pose to homage to his newborn baby girl.
It’s a testament to a father’s love and an Olympian’s spirit that Quinion was able to not only be at his wife’s bedside, but be at the starting line and finish in the top 10 of a world class event. He had better start getting used to these kind of sleepless nights.
Quinion's commitment to his sport was evident even after the birth of his daughter, as he celebrated his finish in the 20km final with a thumb-sucking pose, a tribute to his newborn. Despite the lack of sleep due to his daughter's birth, Quinion's passion for sport and family remained unwavering.
