The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are approaching, and with them, the preparation of athletes that is intensifying day by day, to be ready to collect the maximum number of medals from August 28 to September 8, 2024. Ahead of the Olympic Games, we've chosen to meet a dozen French athletes, both able-bodied and disabled, to help you discover their passion and their world! This is your chance to find out more about some of the lesser-known disciplines or those recently added to the Olympic program, and to support the athletes who have touched your heart!
For the final interview in this series, we went to meet Badr Touzi, who spoke to Sortir à Paris about his sport, shot put, and his hopes and expectations for the Paris 2024 Games. A disabled athlete who has been a member of the French national team for 10 years, he has won several European medals and was a finalist at the Rio Paralympic Games.
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It's a sport of strength and technique, where you have to throw the implement as far as possible in an area 2m13 in diameter.
It's all about performance, and the top three who go the furthest will win a medal!
For athletics, they take place at the Stade de France, and I'm throwing on September 7 in the evening (editor's note: 8.25pm on F63)! I've never thrown there, so it's going to be something magical! What's more, there'll be family and friends there - it's going to be crazy!
The Stade de France, the venue for concerts and sporting events in Saint-Denis (93)
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For me, there's an Englishman who's a cut above the rest, but otherwise I think it's easily possible to win a silver or bronze medal. There's also an Uzbek and an Iranian, but the first one is really strong! After all, it's a competition and you never know what might happen, but he's got a bit of a head start.
At the moment, I don't feel any pressure, but I think I will just before I launch, but it's just that you're at home, so you've got to do your country proud!
The people who take part in the Olympic Games have all their physical abilities, so in terms of performance, we're going to perform less well, but compared with average people or at regional level, we're better. But at Elite level, we'll never be there, we'll never be like the able-bodied.
I think there's more and more media coverage of Paralympism, I've seen a clear increase, there's a big effort and enthusiasm too. We're getting more and more interviews, more and more people talking about the Games, which are going to be great at home, and that's cool!
I was doing athletics before my accident, high jumping, not shot-putting! I was destined for a career as a high-level athlete, I was going to the INSEP, afterwards we don't know but I was among the best in the country and then I had my accident, with a damaged spinal column and a compressed spinal cord. Fortunately, it wasn't severed, so I'm paralyzed in my left leg, I have less strength, muscle atrophy. I came to handisport a bit late, but I didn't go straight into athletics.
I did a soft sport like swimming and then I went back to it quite naturally because I was working in a CREPS (Centre de Ressources d'Expertise et de Performance Sportive) with a shot put group and I joined them. I was the only one with a disability, but things went well. I thought it was possible that I'd make the Games in 2016, and I did! So I kept going, but I couldn't go back to heights because I've got pins in my back and it's dangerous. So I switched to a discipline where you use your back a little less.
Actually, I prefer the discus, but at this Paralympic Games, there's only the shot put in my disability category! The discus goes further, it's more beautiful, the shot put I like but in France it's not cultural, it's not something people do.
In the final phase, when you go from front to back, people who have a strong leg will be able to push. Me, I put everything on my right leg, almost, so that's the only particularity. In weight training too, I have less strength on my left leg.
A lot of things, I've travelled a lot, the emotions of sport are something else too, winning medals is no mean feat!
At the Olympic or Paralympic Games, there are people who do incredible things, who go beyond their limits, who break records. I'd say that recently, an American (Ryan Crouser) did 23m56 in the 7-kilogram event, which is the current world record, it's crazy!
For example, in winter, when there aren't many competitions, we do twice-daily (two sessions a day) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we train maybe 7 times a week. And normally we train 5 times. When it comes to competitions, it depends on the schedule, but it requires strength, technique and heart as well. So it's pretty complete, even if you don't do cardio like a guy doing 1500m, but still, you've got to be an athlete!
You need to be a little over 1m80 because the taller you are, the better, but you can manage under that too.
Here in Cergy, at the Maradas stadium (Entente Agglo. Cergy-Pontoise Athlétisme), it's my town! What's more, they've just built an indoor hall, so frankly, we've got a great place to prepare.
I'd say start young because it's a late-maturing sport. You get your strength afterwards, but when it comes to technique, you acquire a feel for it over the years. Go for it, if you're prepared to earn crumbs! (laughs) Don't play soccer or basketball, they don't pay! But if you like it, go for it!
Well, I'll tell them to come to training and you'll be the one with the handicap, not me! Because I'm going to show you that I can go further than you in a throw! In the Paralympics, there are sick performances, there's a real level!
I'm a Muslim, so I say"Bismillah" before I do something and recite a bit of the Koran, which calms me down.
Don't hesitate to come and see the Paralympic Games, which run from August 28 to September 8, and try to get your tickets to come and cheer us on!
A crêperie near Place de Clichy, Crêperie de l'Etoile, at Saïd's, if you're looking for comfort!
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Paris 2024 Olympics: history, events, Olympic venue... athletics and para-athletics at the Games
