JAP 2016: Meet the Champions of Tomorrow!

The 2016 JAP (Jeunes à Potentiel, Promising Youths) meeting took place October 24-28 at the CREPS (sports training and resource center) of Bourges. The event was helmed by Sami El Gueddari, of the Fédération Française Handisport ; 110 young athletes (70 with potential and 40 from the young hopefuls group) attended. For an entire week, these youths had the opportunity to train in their preferred discipline and to try out new sports with the guidance of a high level group of handisport counselors…

Paralympic champions (Marie-Amelie Le Fur, Nantenin Keita, Joel Jeannot, Charles Rozoy) as well as CPSF (French Paralympic and Sports Committee) President Emmanuelle Assmann were on hand to share their experience with these budding champions!

We met with three promising youths, Luan, Davy and Maxime, who already have Paralympic dreams…
What sport do you practice and for how long ?
Luan: “I’ve been swimming for three years.”
Davy: “I started wheelchair basketball four years ago.”
Maxime: “I’ve been training in athletics for a year and have been trying out several disciplines: long jump, 100m, and javelin throw.”

Why do you like this sport ?
Maxime: “I like the speed of the 100m and, in the long jump, the sensation of flying when you take off.”
Luan: “First of all, swimming allows me to tone my entire body. I also find it relaxing because I’m a little high-strung.”
Davy: “I’ve loved basketball ever since I was little, and I thought I’d never play because of my disability. But one day, in a rehabilitation center, one of my teachers introduced me to wheelchair basketball and that was the beginning of it all for me.”

How often do you train in a week ?
Davy: “Only once a week because I live in Bagnolet, which is far from my club, in Meaux.”
Luan: “I swim approximately 8 hours a week, every day except Thursdays and Sundays.”
Maxime: “I train twice a week. I really only started in September when I got my running blade (special prosthesis).”

What role does sport play in your life ?
Davy: “It’s good for me, it takes me away from my daily life: staying home, playing with my Playstation is fun for a bit, but I need something more.”
Maxime: “It changes my routine, allows me to expend energy and clears my mind.”
Luan: “It allows me to put out a lot of energy… so I’m less insupportable at home.”

Have you already competed ? If so, which competitions, and what were your results ?
Luan: “I competed in the French national youth championship, 2 bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and butterfly. I’ve also competed against non-impaired athletes.”
Maxime: “I competed in the French Interclub championship where I won a gold medal in the javelin throw.”
Davy: “I’ve already competed in the French under 25 championship, the youth challenge at the Charléty stadium, and a basketball tournament in Dijon, then Spain, where my team won.”

How do you feel when you win ?
Davy: “I’m really happy. I haven’t won much yet with my team, so it feels great when it happens!”
Luan: “I have the impression that my work this year paid off. This helps me move forward, to tell myself that my efforts are not in vain.”
Maxime: “It’s an accomplishment and a motivation to push even further beyond my limits.”

What is your best sports memory ?
Luan: “Winning the 50m freestyle, it’s one of my favorite events. I was able to get to the next level and also to feel good about my life.”
Davy: “Our first victory was during a friendly match. Last year, at the beginning of the championship we lost several games, and all of a sudden, after the friendly match, we started to win. At that moment, we all burst with joy, it was truly fantastic!”
Maxime: “My best memory is one of my first competitions, at the Charléty Open.”

Which athletes inspire you ?
Luan: “Théo Curin, Michael Phelps, Florent Manaudou and Camille Muffat, she was a great person.”
Davy: “For me it’s Kobe Bryant, I’ve been watching him since I was tiny and he is one of the reasons I love basketball.”
Maxime: “Marie-Amélie Le Fur, she really takes off on her blade, I don’t know how she does it. I also admire Jimmy Vicaut and footballers like Paul Pogba, for instance, I really like them.”

Did you follow the Rio Paralympic Games ?
Luan: “Yes, totally! I watched the victory of Damien Seguin, whom I had met at the French sailing championship. And I was also super happy about Elodie Lorandi’s medals.”
Davy: “Not too much because with school it was a bit difficult. I have a lot of homework and the Games were shown late at night. I did see part of the women’s wheelchair basketball final, but after that it was too late.”
Maxime: “I mostly watched the Olympics, because school had already started during the Paralympics. But I did follow Marie-Amélie Le Fur’s results and my mother would tell me all about her competitions.”

What are your sports goals ?
Maxime: “To go to the Paralympics, of course, but I know there’s a lot of work to do until then. I have to train a lot.”
Davy: “I’d like to get to the highest level, maybe join the French national team and one of the major clubs as well.”
Luan: “I want to go to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and hopefully in France in 2024.”

Copyright Grégory Picout