Carl Lewis, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams endure rocky Seine boat ride with Olympic flame

Carl Lewis, as a nine-time Olympic champion and the IOC’s sportsman of the 20th century , has faced down some formidable foes over the years. But at Friday’s opening ceremony for the Paris Games he nearly came unstuck against his toughest opponent yet: a rocking boat.

The former sprinter joined fellow gold medalists Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Nadia Comăneci on a boat that roared down the Seine carrying the Olympic flame to the traditional cauldron lighting ceremony.

Related: Singing, spectacle and subplots on the Seine in the rain

However, it soon became clear that this was to be no pleasure cruise. During a ride that seemed to last only slightly less time than Nadal’s epic five-setter against Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, the Spaniard looked worried that the flame would blow out in the strong headwinds, while Williams and Lewis appeared understandably alarmed at the prospect of holding a naked flame in one hand while trying to keep their balance with the other. Only Comăneci, perhaps unsurprisingly for a woman who won two Olympic golds on the balance beam, seemed untroubled as the boat bobbed up and down. At one point Williams appeared to gasp in fear and hold on to Comăneci for reassurance.

“Carl Lewis absolutely hating this boat ride is already my 2024 Olympic highlight,” said one user on X.

“Fave part of the ceremony has gotta be Carl Lewis, Serena Williams et al on the boat, with life jackets on, getting soaked and not knowing what the heck was going on!,” wrote another.

The four athletes – and the flame – eventually made it to dry land, where the torch was passed to a variety of French sporting legends before the cauldron was lit by two of the home nation’s Olympic champions, judoka Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec.