As the Olympic flame touched down in France from Greece, excitement brewed for the relay involving 10,000 torchbearers, representing diverse stories of achievement. Among them shines a Paris-based, Sri Lankan-born baker Tharshan Selvarajah who only arrived in France for the first time in 2006.
Known for his award-winning baguettes, he makes history as the first Sri Lankan torchbearer in the annals of the Olympic Games.
In 2023, the winner of the “Grand Prize of the Traditional French Baguette,” organized by the Paris City Hall, was the baguette made by Tharshan Selvarajah, after which he received the opportunity to supply baguettes to France’s presidential palace.