Every triathlete will tell you that triathlon is by definition an adaptive sport, where you have to know how to balance three disciplines – swimming, cycling and running – that are as different as they are demanding. Even more so, depending on the whims of the weather, which requires taming the currents and waves and avoiding the dangers of wet or paved roads. Elise Marc has sharpened this ability to play the chameleon a little more since her category “disappeared” from the Paralympic Games.
The three-time world champion in paratriathlon and current European champion usually competes on the world circuit in the PTS3 category, the “standing paratriathlon 3”, reserved for athletes with significant disabilities but who can compete standing. In Paris, he will take the start on Monday 2 September, in the highest category (PTS4). His category was not accepted. “simply because there are not enough people”explains the 36-year-old, who was amputated below the knees on both sides after an accident when she was 17 that she does not want to talk about.
To complete the 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run, his handicap is more penalising than that of his new competitors. “Normally, among the PTS4, they are “simple” amputees, that is, on one side only. Where I lose the most time is in the swimming part and in the first transition”, It was time to put on his two prostheses after getting out of the water and before getting on the bike.
Already in Tokyo, in 2021, her category was not on the menu at the Games. “It was a big disappointment. The civil engineer admits that he would have had the possibility of upgrading to PTS5, i.e. two categories of difference. It was too much, I didn’t even want to try. I said to myself: “I might as well use this to discover another discipline.” That’s why I started rowing. » She was crowned world champion in indoor rowing in her category, but after a year and a half she got tired.
“Waste as little time as possible”
The lockdown arrives. The local coach becomes her best ally and, at the same time, the Games are postponed for a year. At that moment, the idea of paracycling arose. Her second place in the world championships of paracycling guaranteed her a ticket to Tokyo in this sport, where she finished tenth in the road race and twelfth in the time trial. “The selection was already a victory in itself, puts into perspective this pioneer, fifth in the first paratriathlon event in the history of the Paralympic Games, in Rio in 2016. Living in another group, seeing another way of training, nourished me, everything I could work on [en para cyclisme] useful for me today. »
In Japan, her head is actually already 10,000 kilometres away. For Paris 2024, Elise Marc intends to reconnect with her first loves by lining up for the triathlon. She is getting back into it 100%. Swimming has long been her forte, followed by cycling. Now she is up and running. “This is where I really have a chance to get back to the front of the race. My mentality in swimming and cycling is to lose as little time as possible compared to the competition.”says the resident of the Boulouris Sports Resources, Experience and Performance Centre in Saint-Raphaël (Var), where she is trained by Nicolas Becker.
In the summer of 2023, during the test eventdress rehearsal before the Games, Elise Marc crossed the Alexandre-III bridge in second place. “It shows that I have a good card to play.” And once again, there is a sense of adaptation. The swim was cancelled due to the water quality of the Seine and the event was transformed into a duathlon.
