They will no doubt remember it for a long time. This Thursday, in the wedding hall of the town hall of Pontivy (Morbihan), 20 high school students received a citizenship diploma from the hands of the mayor, Christine Le Strat and the sub-prefect Claire Liétard. With this official distinction, the authorities wanted to pay tribute to their collective act of bravery.
On November 15, these students from the Jeanne-d'Arc-Saint-Ivy high school actually saved the life of the kayak instructor who was supervising them. “What you did is not common. You can be proud,” the mayor congratulated them.
While paddling on the Blavet, Justin Grulier, 17, saw that his instructor had turned over in the water with his boat, suffering an epileptic seizure. He didn't think and went to his aid, joined by a comrade, Valentin Bellec. Although they had no footing and despite the weight (around a hundred kilos) they managed to turn over the man stuck in his canoe.
“He stayed underwater for very little time fortunately,” explains Justin, former French canoe champion. The pair then brought the victim back to the shore where their teacher and the other students were waiting for them. Their monitor was not out of the woods, however.
“He couldn’t get out of the kayak, he was shaking and he had foam coming out of his mouth,” Valentin remembers. Another student had the reflex to take his pulse and call for help then collectively, they managed to hoist the man five or six meters higher.
The firefighters then took over. The monitor is today safe and sound. “You showed great composure. We too often talk about young people in a negative way when you prove that you are up to the challenge,” paid tribute to them by the director of their high school, Gilles Huellou.
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