Florent Marais Handicap: The swimmer has inspired many to persevere in pursuing their dreams despite obstacles.
Announcing his preparations for Paris 2024, the French Paralympic swimmer from the Antibes club is gearing up for the event.
Moreover, the underdevelopment of a body part has not been an obstacle to his goals.
Florent Marais was born in Granville, France, on July 8, 2000. Since the age of 14, Florent decided to devote all of his time to swimming.
He participated in the men’s 100-meter freestyle S10 event at the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, Spain.
Moreover, he also competed in the 2020 World Para Swimming European Open Championships held in Funchal, Portugal.
Similarly, he secured the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Is Florent Marais Handicap? What Disability Does He Have?
Florent Marais is primarily recognized as a French disabled swimmer. He suffers from agenesis.
Agenesis is the absence or underdevelopment of a particular organ or structure in the body.
Moreover, Marais is affected by agenesis of the right leg, lacking a calf and a fibula, and having two toes on this leg.
At the age of 9, he started swimming following the advice of a doctor after an operation and realized that it could be his thing.
He practices swimming with the able-bodied at Espérance Vaillante Granville.
Then, in 2018, he moved to Antibes and joined the Antibes Méditerranée disabled sports club.
That same year, at 18, he participated for the first time in an international competition with the seniors during the European Championships.
Additionally, Marais says that he never really had a role model. He used to prefer seeing people in training and analyzing how they were progressing.
Similarly, he drew inspiration from all the people he encountered in training or during competition.
He generally states that he pays more attention to the one who comes second, lacking the “gift” of the first but refusing to give up and putting in hard work.
Marais also aims to inspire young people to dream and demonstrate to them that it is possible, serving as a way to motivate them.
What Will Happen At The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games?
Marais is participating in the world championships in Manchester (England). He aims to secure his ticket for the Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.
His goal for these championships is to achieve a finish in the first two, synonymous with qualification for the Olympics in 2024.
“If I make the top 1 or 2, qualification is almost 100% assured.”
Moreover, he has made a lot of sacrifices and undergone extensive training, preparing for the Paralympic Games for ten years.
Despite having already won a bronze in the 100m backstroke at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he aims to secure a new one in Paris and to hear the Marseillaise.
He said, “People’s outlook has changed. It has become easier to request services to be able to train in swimming pools. Having a Paralympic medal on the list helps with preparation for Paris.”
For the preparation, he engages in water workouts, covering the equivalent of 12 km per day. Likewise, he performs 2h30 of weight training every two days.
