France, March 1 -- "The momentum has now been set," said France's Olympic committee chief Amelie Oudea-Castera, after a lavish celebration to welcome home the delegation that harvested 23 medals during the 16-day event.

"This grand return marked the real start of our journey towards 2030," she said.

Around 6,500 well-wishers packed into the Olympic Hall in Albertville, south-eastern France, to hail the returning athletes.

France scoops up 10 medals in first week of 2026 Winter Olympics

"I haven't had much time to take it all in," said Mathis Desloges, who won three silver medals - all of them behind Norway's Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, who became a Winter Olympics legend by claiming all six events he contested in cross-country skiing.

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