Olympian speaks out after being tracked down by Andy Murray in Paris village

Liechtenstein’s only athlete at the Paris Olympics has spoken out after Andy Murray tracked him down in the athlete’s village.

The Brit retired at the 2024 Games after reaching the quarter-final of the men’s doubles tennis event with Dan Evans.

During his time in Paris, he took one Olympic tradition very seriously – the pin-trading competition in the village. And Romano Puntener played a crucial role in Murray’s quest.

The mountain biker is the only Olympian from Liechtenstein, making it very hard for the other athletes to collect pins from the nation. In an effort to get one of the scarce badges, Murray did his homework and went out to find Puntener.

It didn’t take long – he met the 20-year-old on day one. And the Liechtensteiner has now opened up on his unusual meeting with Murray. “I was really surprised. It was after dinner when me and my mechanic took some bikes and rode through the village, and he saw me,” he said.

“I didn’t expect to meet him on my first evening there at the Olympic Village. I was a bit surprised that he asked me for a Liechtenstein pin, because I knew that pin trading is a big thing at the Olympics but I didn’t know that superstars like Andy Murray do that.”

Murray and Puntener were at opposite ends of their Olympic journeys, with the three-time Grand Slam champion about to retire while the mountain biker was making his debut. It’s something they discussed while swapping pins.

Puntener added: “That was really cool to meet him and talk with him about his last tournament and about my first Olympics, and how it is to be the only athlete from Liechtenstein.”

It’s the first time the 20-year-old has addressed their meeting. But many already knew about Murray’s quest to find the only Liechtensteiner at the Olympics. Speaking on Eurosport when the Games first started, Laura Robson revealed: “In the athletes’ village, he’s trying to find the most niche country, the smallest country.