ASuffering from a chromosomal deficiency, Léa Ferney can boast of having (already) written the history of her sport. The 20-year-old athlete, originally from Dijon, is the reigning world champion and Paralympic vice-champion in table tennis category T11.
The section she competes in is reserved for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health issues. This is called adapted sport. “I am the first woman to win a Paralympic medal in this section,” explains Léa, who was only 17 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, making her the youngest in the delegation.
To understand the meteoric rise of this little ball prodigy, we have to go back to 2011. Then aged 7, the Dijon native discovered table tennis at her grandparents’ house. “They had a ping-pong table and my brother was already playing.” Her extraordinary destiny began at that moment.
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High level at 11 years old
Everything happened very quickly. Spotted by the national adapted sports coach who saw great potential in her, Léa Ferney joined the top level when she was only in CM2. The budding champion’s job therefore had to adapt. “In primary school, there were weeks when I wasn’t there. In secondary school, I had a flexible schedule,” explains the young woman, now studying for a CAP in cooking. “I had to put myself on hold […] Read more
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