Théo Curin embarks on the swim crossing of Lake Titicaca

“The weather conditions are as expected: the water is cold, the altitude hurts us”. It’s the big day for Théo Curin and his team. The young Paralympic swimmer, amputated of all four limbs following a meningitis when he was a child, will take up an unprecedented challenge, in partnership with franceinfo: swim across Lake Titicaca and its 122 kilometers in length.

Accompanied by two other athletes, Théo Curin arrived in Bolivia a week ago to get used to the weather conditions and the altitude. At midday on Wednesday 10 November, he set off for his first lengths with the aim of reaching the other side of Peru in ten days. The starting point is the Bolivian city of Copacabana where Théo Curin arrived on Monday, November 8 after a few days spent in the capital La Paz. But here, no long sandy beach and no time to laze. “We really realize the difficulty of what awaits us. We will have a hard time”, foresees, always with a smile, the young man.

the Titicaca, a lake with a mythical name, the highest navigable plane in the world at an altitude of 3,800 meters, is on the border between Bolivia and Peru. “When you come face to face with this lake, it’s really impressive, it’s so big that you can’t even see the end of it and it’s freaking out”, says Théo Curin. “In the photos we realize that this lake is very big and vast, but when we have it in front of us, it is even more impressive.”

“It’s good stress mixed with a lot of excitement especially.”

Theo Curin

to franceinfo

Theo Curin, accompanied by former swimmer Malia Metella and eco-adventurer Matthieu Witvoet, has been preparing for 14 months. Almost a year and a half of training sessions for such a special expedition. You have to tame the cold and the altitude. The three swimmers will also have to tow a raft of 500 kilos to be in total autonomy. Everything has been thought out down to the details. “We stocked up on sunscreen. We took cream with index 100 otherwise we burnt out”, laughs Thoé Curin.

A few hours away from setting off, Théo Curin, who had to give up the Tokyo Paralympic Games and who imagined this substitute challenge, measures the magnitude of the task. Six hours of swimming per day to swallow the 122 kilometers of the course.

When he arrived in Bolivia, the 21-year-old jack-of-all-trades was reinvigorated by the welcome from the population. “In the street, at the restaurant, there are people who recognize me here in Bolivia. It’s crazy, the message is already getting through even though we haven’t even left!” Arrival on the other side in about ten days.