REPORTING. In Saint-Brieuc, at the heart of the classification process for new para-athletes

On the sidelines of the French indoor para-athletics championships which are being held on Saturday, several athletes with disabilities followed a classification session on Friday in order to be able to compete, too, in the Breton city.

In the middle of a clearing that would almost make your eyes squint, momentarily chasing away the gray, nine shadows, from behind, enter the interior of the Halle Maryvonne Dupureur in Saint-Brieuc, Friday February 9. With confident steps, they join the meeting room which overlooks the athletics track for a timed briefing.

Orianne Lopez and Rudi Van Den Abbeele take the floor to give good advice and organize the organization to the seven other “apprentice” classifiers. The latter work, directly or indirectly, with the French Handisport Federation (FFH) and have so-called “medical” profiles for some (ergotherapists, physiotherapists), or “technical” for others (sports managers, coaches, former athletes). ).

Together, they came to train in the classification of athletes wishing to participate in para-athletics competitions, and in particular the French indoor championships, expected on Saturday at the venue. “It’s a real challenge, we need new blood”confesses Serge, one of the interns of the day.

“We are going to set up two panels – one of five people and the other of four – who will have to classify six athletes each today”, explains Orianne, classifier on the medical side and doctor for the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF). Barely enough time to swallow a piece of pizza in a hurry on a corner of the table when, already, the time has come to settle down in the changing rooms on the ground floor and put together a bathroom. waiting.

A battery of medical and physical tests

Pierrick, 37, appears before the first panel. Injured in his right ankle in 2015 during an operation, this nurse from Toulon in the army health service has come a long way. “I was told that I would never be able to play sports again.he says. After four operations and four years of rehabilitation, I was able to resort at the beginning of 2019. I returned fully to be able to compete in the Invictus Games [compétition rassemblant des soldats et vétérans de guerre blessés et des personnes en situation de handicap]. If I manage to be classified at the national level, then internationally, the idea is to compete in the first military disabled sports world championships in Venice at the end of March.”

He undergoes a whole battery of tests: jumping with his feet together, walking on tiptoes or heels, examining his loss of range of motion with manipulations, etc. All functional limitations are probed to ensure, as defined by the classification, that the impairment is permanent and the discomfort sufficient in view of the Paralympic Code. Then, it is on the track that he will be tested and try different exercises, under the technical supervision of Denis, before the time for deliberation arrives.

“It’s quite localized, there is no trauma to the knee… What’s more important is the strength deficit”classifiers debate. “You will be in category T44 [mouvement d’une partie inférieure de la jambe légèrement limité]and we are putting you in “revisable” status for the moment because this is your first classification”they announce. “You will have to be re-examined. We think that you are clearly eligible but you are at the limit. There is a small margin of measurement which, for your international classification, will depend on the panel of classifiers.”

A future crack in frame running

A young girl with her posterior walker follows Pierrick in the medical room. Eve, 13 years old – “14 in a week” – discovered frame running, a three-wheeled racing frame, less than a year ago during an afternoon dedicated to disabled sports. Brain damaged, she realized one of her dreams: that of being able to run, thanks to a machine that is still very little known. Big smile on her face, she did not hesitate to take the classification step to be able to practice in competition.

At her side, her mother recalls that until a radicellectomy – a surgery consisting of cutting nerves in the spine to reduce spasticity and improve motor skills – performed in 2018, she could not walk. Enough to measure the progress made until today… The Nantes woman is also returning to the athletics track to show what she is capable of. Verdict? It will be in category T72, recently created for frame running practitioners. Eve becomes, at the same time, the first athlete practicing the discipline officially classified in France!

Right next door, at panel 2, the discussions are lively. To which category does Jérémy, 30 years old, a versatile athlete and affected at a cerebral level that the classifiers are unable to classify belong? Everyone puts forward their observations and their objective and quantifiable elements. It will finally be T35 (coordination disorders such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis) after the technical intervention of Rudi, international classifier since 1992, who, with two exercises in the bend of the track, was able to determine a major functional limitation.

“Depending on our decision, the athlete may or may not have a Paralympic destiny”

A few minutes later, it was Zoubir who climbed onto the observation table before being scrutinized from every angle by the medical professionals. The 59-year-old man, with discomfort in his right shoulder and right elbow, is nevertheless considered too fair to be classified. This does not work, there is no category where he would be eligible due to a handicap considered too slight.

“He will have the opportunity to go through classification again in order to be determined”explains Rudi Van Den Abbeele, before opening up about the difficulty of his role. “It’s not always easy, you have to be really attentive and meticulous otherwise, it’s true that depending on our decision, the athlete may or may not have a Paralympic destiny.” specifies the multiple medalist at the Seoul and Stoke Mandeville Games. “But it can also depend on the change in the Paralympic code, the categories selected or not for the Games… For example, my events are no longer on the program, the pentathlon no longer exists.”

The marathon day continues until more than 9 p.m., while French champions, like Dimitri Jozwicki, come to make their mark on the eve of the French championships, their eyes already turned towards Paris.