Mehdi Deghmache vice-world champion in Paralympic kayaking in Croatia

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Montpellier And Palavas-les-Flots are in the spotlight, as the Paris Paralympic Games have just ended, in which the athlete Mehdi Deghmache did not participate and for good reason: “It was a voluntary choice”. No regrets: this 35-year-old from Montpellier, a former rugby player, has just been crowned vice-world champion in kayaking over 12km in one hour, in Metkovic, in CroatiaThe thirty-year-old uses a wheelchair because his legs were amputated after being hit by a speeding driver, after taking drugs and without insurance.

Less than two years later, deprived of his motor limbs, Mehdi set himself a crazy challenge in Paralympic kayaking. Mehdi is so proud and happy with this feat, because it is one, that he can’t wait to show us his beautiful silver medal in real life, as soon as he returns this weekend to his family, his friends and those who support him, especially the coaches. And who believed in him wholeheartedly. On the highest step of the podium, he was beaten by an Austrian who therefore took gold. “He has been doing this competition for fifteen years, he is the MBappé of this discipline!”, assures Mehdi. The silver went to an Englishman.

“I focused on the World Championship in Croatia, which I prepared for at length and meticulously at the Palavas-les-Flots sea kayak club, where I trained mainly on the Lez River and at Creps in Montpellier. I have my favorite body of water in Palavas, a nice place to train. Usually, I perform well in sprints, over 200m, but I decided to give it a try by participating in these 12km. Twice a day and every day, I did at least 20km and I felt ready to participate in the world championship, “explains Mehdi Deghmache, all smiles.

“A titanic work”

“Upstream, those who trained me, encouraged me and prepared me at length for the Creps, whom I sincerely, truly thank, as well as the City of Montpellier and the Palavas-les-Flots club, have accomplished an enormous, titanic amount of work. I owe a lot to my coach, Christian, who lives far from Hérault and who has been following me since my beginnings in this competition, not hesitating to come down here regularly to strengthen the training thanks to valuable advice. And here is the result”, notes Mehdi enthusiastically. An exploit, there are no other words.

This thirty-year-old who stands out in this spectacular sport seems to have been somewhat forgotten in Montpellier and it’s a shame. Moreover, we discover these wheelchair athletes most often during the Olympic Games, like those in Paris in the summer of 2024. Well, he still had the honors in the national specialized press. Did you know that Mehdi Deghmache was crowned French champion 2023 canoeing, kayaking, sprinting and paracanoeing, in the Léry-Poses basin, in Normandy?

French Champion 2023

It was his first participation and he shone in gold: Mehdi came back here with this highly coveted title of French paracanoe champion of the 200m in the KL2 classification, without noise. But he knew that he would bounce back even higher and take up the challenge of the world events.

> Video from a bodybuilding session at Creps in Montpellier https://www.facebook.com/reel/4198265490397773

A great reward for Mehdi who worked hard to reach this level in a short time. As early as April 2023, after only six months of kayaking, our champion had been selected in the collective France where he quickly adapted, in order to participate in international competitions. “This selection allowed me to benefit from regular training, during national training courses to progress further”, he comments. In just a few months, thanks to hard daily work, the Montpellier native was propelled to the world championships which have just taken place in Croatia.

See you in Los Angeles?

Finally, our visibly inspired champion does not regret having skipped the Olympics and having chosen the world championship. With this beautiful silver medal, Mehdi Deghmache confirms that his title of 2023 French champion was not a coincidence and that he is now playing in the league of great kayak and canoe sprinters.

This thirty-year-old who has just acquired his car specially designed for his disability and who is not looking for glory, he is so simple and who overcomes his misfortune with incredible courage, “this accident that nailed me to a wheeling malpractice? But that’s life”, is finally pulled out of the shadows to burst into the light. He is not big-headed. An exemplary life lesson. His magic paddle has not finished making him surf the waters of the planet. So, dare, see you at the next Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles. What if Mehdi made the American dream come true?

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