PARIS — The lighting of the Olympic torch was a celebration for some of the biggest stars in French sport, both globally known and lesser known: Zinedine Zidane, the talisman of the French team that won the 1998 World Cup. Rafael Nadal, whose career is marked by his 14 French Open titles. Tony Parker, whose success with the San Antonio Spurs opened the NBA to French players, including current French sensation Victor Wembanyama.

But it was some of the lesser-known athletes who made the race a memorable event. Charles Coste, who turned 100 earlier this year and is France’s oldest living Olympian, received the torch sitting in a wheelchair.

Two three-time Olympic champions, judoka Teddy Riner and track and field athlete Marie-José Pérec, then joined Coste. The two held their torches to his and then walked slowly up a ramp toward what looked like a large ball floating in the air.

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However, when Riner and Pérec lit the base, it turned out that the cauldron was a hot air balloon rising high into the Parisian night sky.

On his relay leg, which included a boat ride, Nadal was accompanied by Serena Williams, who won three of her 23 Grand Slam titles at the French Open, Carl Lewis, four-time Olympic champion at the 1984 Games, and Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history at the 1976 Games.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams were part of the epic Olympic torch lighting