Lucas Mazur imposes himself when, with a dark look, he advances towards the net and challenges his opponents. You have to see the French badminton player, from the height of his 1.92 metre – an extraordinary size in the Paralympics – extend his arms and send the shuttlecock with rage or hit it into his opponent’s court. For this 26-year-old left-hander, victim of a stroke when he was 3 years old, which left him with stiffness in his right ankle, defeat is a forbidden word. And badminton is much more than a racket sport.
“I can’t wait to get into the arena and fight today”He was impatient on August 26, just days before the start of the Paralympic tournament. This vocabulary, more common in a boxing ring than among the kings of the shuttlecock, illustrates the determination of the man who won a gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 in the SL4 category (disability affecting a lower limb). A title accompanied, on the same day, by a silver medal in mixed doubles, with Faustine Noël.
“He has a mind of steel, ready to fight at any moment. You can see in his eyes that he wants to “kill” his rival, which puts a lot of pressure on him.”He praises his French teammate Charles Noakes, who is competing in Paris in the SH6 category (young players). “Impresses his opponents”confirms Elisa Chanteur, head of the federation’s high level badminton team. She adds that the youngster knows how to make his imposing build count with such skill in front of the referees.
At the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Lucas Mazur will once again be the best chance of securing a gold medal for the French para-badminton team, made up of eight representatives (five men and three women). Sunday 1Ahem In September, he could meet Indian Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj. The two know each other well and have shared titles for several years. The Frenchman beat him in the Paralympic final in Japan before the Indian took revenge in the World Championship final in Thailand in February this year. “A big blow”a question mark for the native of Saint-Jean-de-Braye (Loiret), who finally won the bronze medal at these World Championships.
New coach, new training site
A few months before the Games, Lucas Mazur has decided to change his coach and his training place. The Loirétain has returned to Salbris, in Loir-et-Cher. and has “I worked a lot with [son] new coach, Maxime Michel [un ancien de l’Institut national du sport, de l’expertise et de la performance], on the height of balloons and the variation of attacks »The results were not long in coming: he won the last two tournaments he played in, in Spain and Scotland, beating his Indian rival. Enough to restore his confidence just a few weeks before the Games.
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