Putting yourself in the shoes of a para athlete? More than 150 students from the Hauts-de-France region took up the challenge on March 28 and 30 at the Liévin Arena. The result: an unforgettable experience and a new perspective on disability...
With the Paris 2024 Games just a few months away, this event felt like a dress rehearsal for Team EDF's para athletes, used to the fervor of stadiums. It was enough to give wings to students in search of new sensations...
Swim 100 meters with your legs tied, ride 1 kilometer on a handbike with the strength of your arms, run 400 meters blindfolded with the voice of a guide... There's no better way to understand what para triathletes go through!
On the program: competition AND fun
More than 150 students from engineering schools, vocational colleges and sports schools took part in the game in an overexcited atmosphere, all driven by the same desire to win. Divided into 48 teams of 3 relay runners, the best went through the qualifying rounds, semi-finals and finals, under the watchful eye of Team EDF champions. A number of celebrities were also on hand to cheer them on. They included Amandine Petit (Miss France 2021), as well as sports-related content creators Domingo, Just Riadh, Pierre Croce, Xari and Julie Bourges alias Douze Février.
Sport above all, but not only
For Alexandre Boulleray, head of sports sponsorship at EDF, the goal was clear: "to get young people to experience the sporting feat that this represents". The ideal way to do this is to "practice para triathlon, putting yourself in the shoes of a disabled person". A successful gamble! The students, para athletes for a day, confirm: "super physical", "destabilizing"...
Fill up on energy with extraordinary champions
For three days, students had the chance to rub shoulders with exceptional athletes: Gwladys Lemoussu (para triathlon), Dorian Foulon and Heïdi Gaugain (para cycling), Théo Curin (para swimming), Romain Cannone (fencing) and Khalil Chabouni (breakdance). An opportunity for them to share their experiences, marked by determination and a thirst for victory.
Whether able-bodied or not, and whatever their level, all these sportsmen and women had one thing in common: their desire to surpass themselves!
Photo credits: Quentin Laborde