Two weeks after winning 15 medals at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, France aims to continue its success with the Paralympic edition, held from March 9 to 18, for which 15 French athletes are competing.
Leading this delegation is Marie Bochet, a four-time gold medalist at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games, who will have the honor of being the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of these 12th Winter Paralympic Games on Friday.
At 24, Marie Bochet, who has a disability in her left forearm due to a malformation, is participating in her second Games, with a favorite status as she has won the Crystal Globe, awarded for the best season.
But Marie Bochet is not just about being the world number one. She also boasts 15 world champion titles and 78 World Cup victories.
Moreover, the native of Arêches won 4 out of the 5 French gold medals at the 2014 Games. In Sochi, France won a total of 12 medals, finishing as the 5th nation (behind Russia, Germany, Canada, and Ukraine). The French hope to do even better in South Korea.
Besides Bochet, young Arthur Bauchet, 17, will be highly anticipated in para alpine skiing after his 2 world titles in 2017 (slalom and giant slalom).
Wait! A regular on the slopes of Isola 2000, Maxime Montaggioni will shine in para-snowboard, and Philippe Manassero, president of the Olympic and Sports Committee of the Alpes-Maritimes department, seems to be one of the first to believe in his medal chances.
“This season, in the championships he participated in, Maxime Montaggioni has always performed well. For this reason, I remain confident, he has all the talent necessary to bring back great achievements from these Paralympic Games.”
France — with the French Handisport Federation (FFH) boasting over 36,000 members — will be present in 4 out of the 6 disciplines in the Paralympic Games: alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and biathlon. It will not participate in ice hockey and curling tournaments.
Nearly 670 athletes from 45 nations will compete for the 80 gold medals up for grabs.
Just as in the 2018 Olympics, Russia is banned from participation, but 30 of its athletes have been authorized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to compete under a neutral flag.
