It’s been over a month since the Paris Olympics came to a spectacular close, with Tom Cruise making a jaw-dropping entrance by abseiling from the roof of Stade de France. His stunt signaled the end of the 2024 Summer Games and the symbolic passing of the torch to LA 2028. As the Olympic buzz began to fade, a mystery from the opening ceremony resurfaced, captivating the world once more—thanks to Lilou Ruel’s grand reveal.

If you’re not familiar with Lilou Ruel, you might be asking, “Who is she, and why did she need to unmask her identity?” Well, for fans of parkour and free-running, Ruel is already a sensation. At just 21 years old, she’s a Parkour World Champion. But what no one knew—until now—is that Ruel was the ‘Masked Man’ who carried the Olympic torch in the viral opening ceremony on the Seine.

For weeks, the internet buzzed with speculation, with most settling on the idea that the masked torchbearer was a man. Ruel, however, couldn’t stay silent any longer. “The identity was supposed to remain a secret,” Ruel told Le Parisien, “but hearing everyone insist it was a man… it frustrated me.”

In a September 19 video, Ruel finally revealed the truth. She explained that artist and director Vincent Zenzel had contacted her and eight others about a month and a half before the Games, instructing them to keep everything tightly under wraps. Describing the operation as “very secret, very confidential,” Ruel added that even rehearsals were kept to a bare minimum to prevent any leaks.

The Toulouse native explained that they only had a few days to rehearse before the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, the artists who designed the masked costumes also kept the identities of the wearer under wraps. On August 5, the creator of Ruel’s costume Thomas Jolly even gave fans behind-the-scenes glimpses of the the creation process.

The post explained that these characters took inspiration from Cinema, Literature, and even video games. Lilou Ruel’s costume bore an uncanny resemblance to the iconic robes from the Assassin’s Creed videogame franchise. “Belphégor, the Iron Mask, the Phantom of the Opera, Ezio d’Assassin’s Creed, Fantomas, or Arsène Lupin…” read the caption. Ruel expressed that she would’ve kept the secret, but letting people believe it was man would go against her principles.

With her unmasking, Lilou Ruel not only set the record straight but also gave the world another reason to remember Paris 2024. Who knew that the ‘Masked Man’ turning heads during the opening ceremony was a trailblazing woman, soaring above the Seine with unmatched skill and grace?

Lilou Ruel’s journey to the Paris Olympics

Lilou Ruel fell in love with high-octane sports as a child. However, her journey didn’t start with parkour, but with speed skating. The world champion started speed skating at nine and gradually discovered parkour. As the birthplace of the sport, France provided ample opportunity for the youngest to showcase her skill as she became a pioneer of women in parkour.

She gained even more fame as the sport became popular in the West as free-running. Ruel made her competitive debut at 16, at the Red Bull Art of Motion in 2019. Two years later, the then-18-year-old earned her first world championship title. She also became the first woman to make the legendary 15-meter ‘Manpower’ jump in Évry, France.

At just 21, Ruel has proven herself to be a trailblazer, and that is why she earned the honor of participating in the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. However, that was also the reason why she couldn’t let billions believe who they saw as the torch-bearer was a man underneath the mask.