2023-08-28 15:31:36
Co-captain of the French wheelchair rugby team at just 25 years old, Cédric Nankin is preparing for the Paralympic Games in Paris. Immersion during training with his club, Cap Saaa, to discover a sport where the spirit of ovality reigns supreme.
Published on: 08/28/2023 – 15:31
2 mn
We call it “the machine”. Cédric Nankin is the co-captain of the French wheelchair rugby team. One year from the Paralympic Games, the 25-year-old rugby player is seriously preparing to try to win gold.
A fierce defender, Cédric Nankin is renowned for his impressive blocks: “You have to avoid being too close to him because when he puts the grid in your wheel, getting out of it is quite complicated. Even the biggest players in the world dread him. When they see Cédric, they say to themselves: ‘Careful, if he’s on me’… And he doesn’t stop”, says his team-mate Ryadh Sallem.
“What I liked about this sport is the solidarity that there is, confides Cédric Nankin to France 24. On the ground, we are adversaries. We are warriors, we compete. side of that, the guys, for my first match, came to me and said, ‘You have to try to strap yourself in like this, equip yourself like that. It’s not bad what you make.’ I found the mentality too cool, and that’s why I got hooked quite quickly.”
Double European champion with the France team, Cédric Nankin is now aiming for Paralympic gold at home in 2024. “I hope that the stadiums will be full, that there will be people to come and support us. It can only help us normally. Afterwards, the Games at home, it will be a great first. It will only happen once in our life. So the goal is to really give everything to not have any problems. disappointment at the end.”
Beyond sport, Nanjing and his teammate Ryadh Sallem aim to change mentalities around disability in France.
While waiting for the Games, they are preparing for the International Cup in Paris in October. Mischievous, Cédric Nankin has his little trick to prepare: “I had added a small handicap because the team opposite was not too crazy. Suddenly, I put 4.2 kg more on my armchair”, he smiles.
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