Impairment Information |
Type of Impairment |
Limb deficiency |
Origin of Impairment |
Congenital |
Classification |
SB-UL |
Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Nice, FRA |
Occupation |
Armed Forces Athlete |
Languages |
English, French |
Higher education |
Commerce - EDHEC Business School: Nice, FRA |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He took up the sport in 1998. |
Why this sport? |
He became aware of competitive Para snowboard after meeting the French national coach while snowboarding at Isola 2000 in France. "I was doing it just for fun, I had no idea that a competitive Para snowboarding discipline existed." |
Club / Team |
Anices Handisport [FRA] / Armee des Champions [FRA]: |
Name of coach |
Yannis Dole [national], FRA |
Senior International Debut |
Year |
2014 |
Competing for |
France |
Location |
Landgraaf, NED |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Motorbiking. (Instagram profile, 17 Aug 2020) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning gold in the men's SB-UL banked slalom at the 2017 World Championships in Big White, BC, Canada. (Athlete, 07 Mar 2018) |
Most influential person in career |
His taekwondo coach Michael Melou. (Athlete, 07 Mar 2018) |
Hero / Idol |
French snowboarder Pierre Vaultier. (Athlete, 07 Mar 2018) |
Injuries |
A ligament injury to his right knee prevented him competing at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. He sustained the initial injury after falling at a competition in Andorra, and then aggravated it during his first training session in Pyeongchang. He underwent surgery in April 2018, and returned to the slopes in December 2018. (Facebook page, 13 Dec 2018, 19 Apr 2018; france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr, 12 Mar 2018)
In 2016 he sustained a back injury while in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. (enroutepourrio.eu, 29 Nov 2016) |
Awards and honours |
He was named Athlete with an Impairment of the Year in Nice, France, for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 at the Victoires du Sport awards. (20minutes.fr, 23 Feb 2016; nice-premium.com, 18 Feb 2016, 14 Feb 2020; nice.fr, 01 Mar 2019) |
Other sports |
He won a bronze medal in Para taekwondo at the 2013 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. (20minutes.fr, 09 Mar 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 08 Jun 2013) |
Ambitions |
To compete at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. (france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr, 12 Mar 2018; Instagram profile, 01 Nov 2020) |
Impairment |
He was born without his right forearm. (20minutes.fr, 09 Mar 2016; nicematin.com, 10 Jun 2009) |
Other information |
DIFFERENT APPROACH He said the disappointment of missing out on the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang because of injury made him change his approach to the sport. "I'm completely different. I'm less aggressive in my rides, I'm just thinking with my brain so I have strategy and I've got maturity. Now I'm safer in my choices and in my vision of the race. I got some distance and now I use my brain more than my muscles." (paralympic.org, 20 Mar 2019)
FURTHER EDUCATION He studied communications and advertising at IDRAC Business School in Amiens, France, and organisational communication and human resources at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France. (Athlete, 07 Mar 2018; LinkedIn profile, 11 Jul 2016) |
World Championships |
Rank |
Year |
Event |
Result |
2 |
2016/2017 |
Snowboard Cross - Upper Limb Impaired |
|
1 |
2016/2017 |
Banked Slalom - Upper Limb Impaired |
1:10.65 |
1 |
2018/2019 |
Banked Slalom - Upper Limb Impaired |
50.05 |
1 |
2018/2019 |
Snowboard Cross - Upper Limb Impaired |
|
2 |
2018/2019 |
Snowboard Cross Team Event |
|
World Cup Finals |
Rank |
Year |
Event |
Result |
7 |
2015/2016 |
Snowboard Cross - Upper Limb Impaired |
|
9 |
2015/2016 |
Snowboard Cross - Upper Limb Impaired |
|
3 |
2015/2016 |
Banked Slalom - Upper Limb Impaired |
1:03.14 |
2 |
2016/2017 |
Snowboard Cross - Upper Limb Impaired |
|
2 |
2016/2017 |
Banked Slalom - Upper Limb Impaired |
|
1 |
2017/2018 |
Snowboard Cross - Upper Limb Impaired |
1:07.84 |
1 |
2017/2018 |
Banked Slalom - Upper Limb Impaired |
1:16.34 |