The day began poetically with a visit to Chateau-Thierry, the birthplace of Jean de la Fontaine. In keeping with the theme of culture, the Torch was taken to Villers-Cotterets, where the Cite Internationale de la Langue Francaise, a centre for the promotion of the French language, was inaugurated last October in the town's 16th century mansion.

The next stop was Soissons, one of the first French capitals of the Frankish kingdom. The town boasts a wealth of medieval heritage, in particular the majestic Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais cathedral, where the Torch Relay made a brief stop before moving on to Monampteuil, Axo'plage and its lakeside leisure centre. This 40-hectare site offers a wide range of outdoor activities, a 300-metre beach and an aqua park. 

The convoy then moved on to Laon, another place not to be missed. Nicknamed the 'Crowned Hill' for its 80 listed monuments, Laon's cathedral, Notre Dame de Laon, is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture whose construction began in 1150. 

In keeping with this historical theme, the Olympic Torch relay continued on to Guise and its fortified castle, before arriving at Le Familistere, a complex designed by the industrialist Jean-Baptiste André Godin to house his workers, and now a listed building.

The day ended in Saint-Quentin, a city renowned for its architecture and history. The city is a veritable open-air museum, with its unique Art Deco façades and natural heritage. The Torch was taken for a stroll along the banks of the Etang de l'Isle water feature in the Champs Elysees park and through the Place du Marche.

The French Boxing Federation organised a Team Relay in Saint-Quentin. The town's boxing club, a true local and national institution, owes its fame to emblematic figures such as the Thomas/Frenois family. This group of four men represented the French national team over several generations. 

Captain Jérôme Thomas, a bronze and then silver medallist at the Sydney and then Athens Games, led this relay with around 20 other Torchbearers. Among them were his brothers Cyril Thomas, a French champion and then EBU European featherweight champion, and Guillaume and Philippe Frenois, also key figures in the city's sporting scene. 

Other faces of the sport were also present, including Bernard Delarue, a former professional boxer and trainer, for whom boxing is more than just a leisure activity and has become a true school of life. Morad Maizou and Marceau Pourrier, two professional boxers, were also present, as was Charlotte Bonneterre, a club official, a sportswoman at Saint-Quentin and a volunteer for the Paris 2024 Games.

Clara Bastos was the first torchbearer in Chateau-Thierry. The schoolteacher, athletics enthusiast, pole vaulter and 100m hurdler for the local club, set off before 9am. Top athletes also lit up the area, especially in Soissons, where Erwann Le Pechoux, a foil swordsman, four-time world champion and Olympic team champion, joined Maxime Pauty, Enzo Lefort and Julien Mertine. 

Para-triathlete Cédric Denuziere, French champion in the PTS3 category and competing in his first Paralympic Games in Paris, closed the ceremony in Laon. The Armenian shooter Elmira Karapetyan, world champion in pistol shooting in Brazil in 2023, carried the Torch in Villers-Cotterêts.

At the end of the day in Saint-Quentin, two sportsmen separated by almost 75 years shared the last kiss before the cauldron was lit. On the eve of his 100th birthday, Félix Fievez, a regional cross-country legend, the first veteran champion in the Aisne in 1977 and Olympic marathon champion in Melbourne in 1956, was one of the stars of the day. 

He passed the Torch to Emilie Machut, a member of the Frenck kickboxing Committee and a multiple French and European champion, to light the cauldron at the celebration site. It was a wonderful image that brought together all the generations of sportspeople to close this symbolic day.

Many members of the public had inspiring stories to tell. In Laon, there was Marie Delatour, French Para-triathlon champion in the PTS4 category, and Julie Roggemoan, who plays in the women's rugby championship and mixed league, as well as for the French police’s rugby team. 

Maxime Cattier was cheered in Monampteuil. A table tennis enthusiast, he coaches for his club and does his utmost to bring the youngsters he trains to the highest level. Jules Laporte, a pioneer in adapted rowing and the 2023 French champion in the J16 category for disabled and able-bodied athletes, carried the Olympic torch in Saint-Quentin.