2023-12-26 08:43:39
The itinerary for the coming months is mapped out. In September 2023, the French mixed coxed four (two men, two women and a coxswain) took fifth place in the world para-rowing championships in Belgrade (Serbia) in the PR3 category (1). Margot Boulet, originally from Aube, and her comrades qualified their boat for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. “This qualification is not nominative. You have to earn your place in the boat now. In the collective, there are four girls for two places. » Modestly, the 33-year-old young woman will say no more. Barring injury, she will nevertheless be on the (short) trip to the Vaires-sur-Marne basin (Seine-et-Marne). She is the French leader in her discipline among women.
Less than ten years ago, Margot Boulet, originally from Provins (Seine-et-Marne), an hour’s drive from… Vaires-sur-Marne, was far from imagining a Paralympic future. Gendarme within the Republican Guard, she had passed the demanding GIGN entrance tests, the only woman among around sixty candidates. During his training, his life changes. During a parachute jump, his canopy closes before landing, causing a free fall of 10 meters. The results are heavy: a loose ankle and the first lumbar vertebra fractured. Seven operations and three years of rehabilitation will be necessary. She now wears a prosthetic left ankle and her back prevents her from walking too long or on uneven terrain.
Former high-level swimmer
A former high-level junior swimmer, she returned to swimming to strengthen her muscles during her rehabilitation but is not yet considering a career in para-sport. “My father is president of the Nogent-sur-Seine Nautical Club and my mother is its secretary. I helped out to supervise the young people but I didn’t practice. » She owes her luck indirectly to a hopeful from the Aube club. “An executive from the Federation went to Nogent-sur-Seine one day to see a 16-year-old with potential. As all parents do, my father talked about me during the discussion and talked about the after-effects of my accident. » The federal technician, seduced by his profile, contacted Margot Boulet to offer her tests. Its power on the water quickly convinced the authorities to integrate it into the collective which was preparing the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Just a few months after her debut in the discipline, the young woman won a first bronze medal at the 2020 European Championships before going on to win awards at the highest international level. Only the gold medal has always been refused to her. Why not at the European Championships in Bled (Slovenia) at the end of May or in Paris 2024. With a great spirit of revenge. “We came back frustrated from the last Worlds. We didn’t row at our level. »
Under contract with the army
One thing is certain: she will not lack supporters in the Vaires-sur-Marne area. “The Paris 2024 Games, people were talking to me about them from the mixed zone in Tokyo! This often comes up on a daily basis in the mouths of those close to me but I try not to think about it too much. My ambition is to give the best of myself every day. Home Games remain special and above all I can’t wait to see the crowds there will be. In Tokyo, it was sad without an audience,” underlines an athlete who dreamed of a double project for Paris 2024. Her handicap was not validated in swimming. “There was frustration. My handicap was recognized on a technical level but it was estimated that I managed to compensate for it and that it was not so obvious in the water,” explains the woman who now benefits from an SNHD contract (sportswoman high-level Defense) within the Gendarmerie like many high-level athletes. “I am 100% detached to practice my sport. I have to spend 25 days a year for communications operations. »
Eager to share her experience, in addition to her missions for “The Army of Champions”, Margot Boulet regularly meets students to tell them about her journey. Recently, as part of the “An athlete in my class” operation, she went to the Jacobins college in Troyes and the Jean de la Fontaine primary school in Nogent-sur-Seine. “We really talk about all the subjects. The children do not hesitate to ask their questions. » The athlete intends to present them with the precious metal in September.
(1): the PR3 category brings together disabled rowers with total or partial use of their legs, trunk and arms or with visual impairment. The boat has no particular adaptations.
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