Gold medalist in the pursuit, Marie Patouillet suffers from discomfort on the podium before the Marseillaise

The emotions were too great. For her last race of her career, Marie Patouillet managed to obtain the only title she was missing: Paralympic gold. After having already obtained a silver medal in the time trial, on Thursday, the 36-year-old Frenchwoman was crowned Paralympic champion in the pursuit in para-cycling on the track. An accomplishment that she had difficulty savoring.

She appeared diminished on the podium, even appearing to faint. She had to be helped by her coach to keep from falling and the latter placed her on a chair. She still had the strength to sing the Marseillaise, supported, standing, by her two competitors on the podium, the French Heïdi Gaugain, second and the New Zealander Nicole Murray.

«I made an effort beyond my physical capabilities. I am prone to vagal discomfort, I realized that I would not hold out“, she explained to France Télévisions.

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