with Didier, Portal and Chardard, French para-swimming has reached the milestone of 10 medals – Libération

2024-09-03 18:44:50

The three swimmers gave many charms to the French representatives this Tuesday, August 3. Together they can improve further in the coming days.

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That is, Guillaume Domingo must say for himself. Before the Games, called to prediction by the media, the person responsible for the swimming activity at the French Sports Association for the Disabled proposed the following: “Getting around ten medals is possible within reason but the competition is tough and the Olympics is an important competition.” On Tuesday evening, Ugo Didier and Alex Portal (both in silver), and Laurent Chardard (tanned, his) update the counter. Ten medals in total.

Ugo Didier was first from the line, at the back of 100m in the S9 category. We expect a comeback, like the one he did on August 29 in the 400m freestyle over his great rival, the Italian Simone Barlaam. But the native of Toulouse did not manage to stop completely after a very average start as usual, due to the weakness of his legs (he was born with side legs, atrophied muscles and without calves). Fourth in turn, who has a license in Cugnaux but who also trains at Dauphins du Toec (Toulouse Olympique Employees Club) where he was able to rub shoulders with Léon Marchand, the speedster, the a broken place, but not enough: a victory for Belarusian Yahor Shchalkanau, who competed under the neutral flag (1). But the 22-year-old engineering student is also a good accountant: “In Tokyo I was fourth, so it’s still a nice medal”. Still a win, in short. He also has the 200 medley, this Wednesday, to win gold again.

Alex Portal, for his part, was not disappointed with his silver medal in the 200m race, his last race in Paris. He smiled as he left the pool: “Three silver medals and one bronze [décrochées dans ces Jeux, ndlr]I will not complain.”. There was nothing to do with his appearance after his second place in the 400m freestyle in the category S13 (visual impairment), from which he left in tears. He was already, again, facing the Ihar Boki monument. This Tuesday, the Belarusian swimmer once again demonstrated his stratospheric control, in a race that led from start to finish with an almost poetic flow: he withdrew, he won. The result, the fifth gold medal in these Paris Games, his 21st Olympic title, which made him the most successful athlete of all time.

Laurent Chardard is happy with the bronze he won in the 50m butterfly in the S6 category. Given his strength, however, we believe that the world champion will be able to stop the Chinese Jingang Wang. But he has no memory of a goldfish and he remembers: “I’m a little disappointed of course but in Tokyo, I finished fourth, so to bring home a medal, I’m happy, and then there are my friends, my family from Reunion, even some people are working”. The swimmer from Pessac (Gironde), 39 years old, who we met in June, is a flat, who emphasizes in a way how much his fans count in his comfort and his new life: the fan of surfing has to cut the your feet are right and right. arm in 2016, following a shark attack in Reunion, his native island of flying the flag at the Paris La Défense Arena. He will return to action on Thursday, in the 100 meter freestyle.

(1) Russia and its allies Belarus have been banned from the Olympic and Paralympic games after the defeat of Ukraine in February 2022. Athletes are allowed to participate in competitions (but not ceremonies) under certain conditions, after research shows that they are not provided. support to the war in Ukraine.