Silver and bronze medals in the 400m freestyle behind the legendary Belarusian Ihar Boki, the siblings from Saint-Germain-en-Laye once again proved their complicity.
They did it again, but not completely. This Saturday at around 7:30 p.m., in a Paris La Défense Arena heated to white heat by their shared 400m freestyle, Alex and Kylian Portal climbed onto the podium together as they had done at the Manchester World Championships in 2023. Except for this detail: while Kylian, 17, once again took bronze, the elder Alex, 22, won silver instead of gold, grabbed by Ihar Boki. The admirable and metronomic Belarusian over-medalist, who is competing under a neutral banner like the 88 Russians and Belarusians competing in these Paralympics due to the invasion of Ukraine (1), pocketed his third medal in three days and the nineteenth Paralympic title of his dizzying career. This gives visibility to the acronym “AIN” (for “neutral individual athlete”) which adorns the white flag which accompanies the podiums of these winners, and it is the occasion to hear the Paralympic anthem again.
“I saw a shadow in front”
An opportunity that Alex Portal could have done without, who did not hide his enormous disappointment, in tears while the crowd cheered the two brothers. He skipped the traditional post-race press briefing. Kylian, no, who confirmed that his older gold-digger would need a little time to digest the last 100 meters that Boki put in his sight while he was in the lead until the 250 meters. “But he must be proud of himself, he does three medals in three days [après l’argent sur le 100 m papillon et le bronze sur le 100 m dos] ! I am very proud of him!” Regarding his own race, the one that Guillaume Domingo, performance manager of para-swimming for the French Para-Sports Federation, describes as «feu»deciphered in an immense (and frequent) smile: “I saw a shadow in front, I told myself that I could go back up and I did the 50 meters of my life!” Whereupon he was seen hugging his brother to console him.
But if Alex Portal then tried to put on a good face, on the podium and then in front of the media, his expression remained unhappy, making you want to give him a hug. “I came for something else… I would have loved to have been able to make us a Marseillaise as well, we would have had it together, but hey, that’s sport, that’s how it is…” ; I didn’t do the right thing… I let myself get carried away by Boki’s pace from time to time… I think I should have killed the race a little earlier.” ; «But hey, three medals in three races, I’m not going to complain about that…». Knowing that he still has the 200m freestyle left on Tuesday… where he will meet Boki, his black cat.
Take under one’s wing
However, Alex Portal did not forget to greet Kylian, “What he did is huge, and he deserves it.”. In fact, these two Portals are never without my brother. Finding themselves competing in the same event? They know the scenario well, they appreciate it, want it, even favor it. During the heats of this 400, the brothers swam side by side, in lines 4 and 5, Alex moved closer to Kylian’s so that he could take advantage of the suction phenomenon. Taking under his wing, even in the water: this almost romantic gesture attests to a fairly moving attention to the other. The cliché of Abel and Cain can go get dressed, in this brotherhood, neither seeks to sink the other.
They share the same handicap: ocular albinism, a genetic disease that prevents them from seeing clearly beyond a meter and makes their retinas ultrasensitive to light. Competitive drive too, obviously. She was favored by a family biotope of sport over several generations – their mother Virginie is also participating in these Paralympics, in the “starter” category (responsible for giving the start) of the women’s events.
But these common points could exist without further affinities, besides the “him, it’s him, me it’s me” would be acceptable, not everyone is capable of fusional familialism. Instead of which the brothers of Saint-Germain-en-Laye seem to feed on each other’s presence, claim their complicity, play on it, this Saturday evening by arriving wearing the same red bob. Obviously, we think of the table tennis brothers Alexis and Félix Lebrun, who moved and electrified France during the Olympic Games. Work, family, siblings, the new slogan of the French “feel good”?
(1) Russia and its ally Belarus were banned from the Olympic and Paralympic Games following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Athletes were allowed to compete (but not participate in ceremonies) under certain conditions, after an investigation proved that they had not actively supported the war in Ukraine.
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