Stéphane Préfontaine

At Montréal in 1976, Stéphane Préfontaine was a 15-year-old athlete when he had the honour with Sandra Henderson of being the first pair to simultaneously light the Olympic flame. The couple ran together inside the Olympic Stadium before lighting the cauldron as they symbolised youth and unity between the English- and French-speaking communities in Canada. They only learned of their role the day before the Opening Ceremony and had a dress rehearsal at 4 am on the day of The Games. For many years, there were rumors that Henderson and Préfontaine later married, but the rumors were false.

Préfontaine took up track and field at the age of eight in Maine in the USA and, at the time of the 1976 Olympics, was a 200- and 400-metre runner with the Union Sportive Athlétique Club de Montréal. He studied law, philosophy and finance before going on to become a lawyer and, later, a portfolio manager.