“It’s a source of great pride and immense joy, the reward for five years of work and training. I’ve been swimming since the age of 14 and I’ve always dreamed of these Olympics!” Hector Denayer savors the happy news : At 19, he is part of the French disabled sports selection which will swim at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Hector Denayer was born without all five fingers on his left hand. The young man from Verdun (Meuse) trained in swimming at the Handisport center in Bordeaux. He joined Dijon two years ago to find training that matched his ambitions. “I decided to join the Dijon Natation Alliance to train with able-bodied athletes and guys who swim faster than me. I got closer to my family, and I found a club where the guys are really progressing I also get along very well with my trainer Ramzi Mekhmoukh. I have a very good feeling with him. We really complement each other. I’m really happy to be in Dijon and to train here. assures the young man.
“Being qualified for the Paralympics is not an outcome, but a step. At the games, I will compete in four individual events. The 50 meter freestyle, the 200 meter medley, the 100 meter butterfly and the 100 meter breaststroke It is in this event that I intend to “get on the box” (the podium Editor’s note), and win gold on August 30.“
Challenge able-bodied swimmers in Mâcon
Hector Denayer may have serious ambitions. He has already shone at the European Championships with two silver medals, and won a bronze medal at the World Championships. “To complete my preparation, I will be competing in the regional championships next week, on July 5, 6 and 7 in Mâcon, where I will be swimming with the able-bodied.”
“Then it will be rest, no more competitions. I will join the French team for a training camp in Limoges two weeks before the Games. It will be good to go swimming with the other guys and build team cohesion.” he specifies.
Beyond his sporting career, the young athlete dreams of a career in the gendarmerie, and has just opened its doors by joining the Joinville battalion as a high-level defense-gendarmerie athlete.
