John McFall, the flag bearer of the Agitos who aspires to be the first parastronaut

The 43-year-old former Paralympic sprinter won bronze in Beijing in 2008 and has been training for two years to become the first disabled person to go into space.

An extraordinary career. Orthopedic surgeon, bronze medalist in the 100 meters at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and… selected to become the first disabled astronaut. That’s the resume of John McFall who brought the Paralympic flag onto the stage on Wednesday 28 August, during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. The coat of arms representing the Agitos, symbols of these Games, was then raised, while the Paralympic anthem could be heard.

This spotlight rewards the career of a 43-year-old man years old, who dreamed of joining the army before being the victim of an accident motorcycle a few months before his 20th birthday years old. The Briton survived, but his right leg was amputated. He then embarked on a career as a professional athlete and a few years later, in 2008, he took part in the Paralympic Games in Beijing and won the bronze medal in the 100 meters. The sprinter ends his sports career at 28 years old and began studying medicine, graduating in 2014. He then set up as an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon in the south of England.

Then, in 2022, he learned that the European Space Agency (ESA) was looking for a candidate with a physical disability. He then registered for the selections, which he passed with flying colors. At 41 years old, he therefore joined the ESA training program, with the aim of becoming the first person with a disability to go into space, a “parastronaut”. A challenge that John McFall could well end up taking up since the ESA announced in July that it had not identified any “technical obstacle to John McFall carrying out a long-duration mission (six months) on board the ISS [la Station spatiale internationale]as a full member of the crew”.

“I have demonstrated that I am capable of meeting the requirementsthe pioneer summed up at a press conference. This does not guarantee me a flight opportunity, but we have proven that it would be technically possible for someone with the same disability as me.”he added. In concrete terms, the former para-athlete’s training has demonstrated that a person with his disability could evacuate the spacecraft leading to the ISS in an emergency or use the station’s exercise machines (treadmills, bikes) without any problems, which are necessary to protect the body from the effects of microgravity.