On September 2nd, Mona Francis will embark on a 750m open water swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run starting at the Alexandre III Bridge, one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris, connecting the two banks of the Seine. And let it be known, the young French paratriathlon champion will do it to win and win a medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. For months, the woman who lost her right leg in a motorcycle accident 10 years ago has been training for this triple-demanding competition. With an enthusiasm and determination that commands admiration and encouragement, she believes in it. So do we!
France.fr: What makes the 2024 Paralympic Games special for you, and what are your expectations? Mona Francis: For French athletes, the Paris Games will be particularly special. Many of our loved ones will be in the audience, so it will be very different from the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games. We will be at home! And so everyone talks to us about it, all the time. It's hard to let go when the Paralympic Games are still several months away, on August 28, 2024. For the official selection, we won't know until the beginning of July. As for me, my 2023 results are good. I'm in the world top 9, ranked sixth. However, I still have to prove myself. It's not a done deal for anyone, but I'm super motivated. I want to go to the Paralympic Games and get on the podium!
France.fr: What are the special features of triathlon?
Mona Francis: A triathlon consists of a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5km run. It is an individual, endurance sport that is very time-consuming and requires a lot of daily training and also a lot of willpower and self-discipline because I don't have a partner or coach who is there every morning. If you are not strict with your training, you will not succeed. I swim every morning. I follow this up with strength training twice a week. On other days, I go jogging. In the afternoon, I cycle, including long rides in the winter. It's thankless, but this endurance pays off in the spring!
"The course is breathtaking! We pass by all the beautiful monuments of Paris."
France.fr: Tell us about the paratriathlon course that will take place on September 2, 2024, in Paris. Mona Francis: A real postcard! The paratriathlon event for my disability category will take place on September 2, 2024. And the course, starting and finishing at the Alexandre III Bridge in Paris, is magnificent! I scouted it out on August 19th during the test events, the dress rehearsal for the events, and it's breathtaking! We pass by all the beautiful monuments of Paris. We start with the swimming event, 750m in the Seine. We come out at the level of the Petit and Grand Palais for the cycling and running events, which I do on a handbike and then in an athletics wheelchair. We then go up the Champs-Elysées and down Avenue Montaigne. We run along the quays for a bit and pass over the Alexandre III Bridge, opposite the Invalides for the transition and finish line. It's really atypical and beautiful, even though we athletes will be focused and not there to do sightseeing. But for the public, it will be extraordinary and the spectators will have time to enjoy it during the 5 laps of the event.
France.fr: What do the 2024 Paralympic Games represent for disability sport, and what messages do you want to get across?
Mona Francis: We shouldn't wait until the day of the race to get our messages across. I work on raising awareness of disability every day by meeting young people and giving talks in schools. Unfortunately, my training doesn't leave me much time for this, and it takes energy, but I love meeting schoolchildren. There is a real need to talk about disability, to understand, to know how to express oneself and position oneself in the face of a person with a disability.
That said, on race day, I hope we won't be seen as people with disabilities who play sports, but rather as athletes, simply! Athletes with disabilities, of course, but first and foremost athletes who are looking for performance. It's not because we have disabilities that we participate in the Paralympic Games, it's because we are high-level athletes above all!
France.fr: What are the values that guide you in life?
Mona Francis: They are the values of sport that I have managed to integrate into my daily life. Values that I didn't have before my accident. I try to be rigorous in what I do. When I do something, I do it well! This is in line with the idea that if I want to go to the Paralympic Games, it's to win a medal, not just to participate. I'm a bit of a fighter, not to say stubborn.
With one year to go until the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Summer Games, what is Marie-Amélie Le Fur running for? President of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee since 2018, the former handisport athlete with nine medals is continuing her long-distance race with one mission: to make the Paris Games a springboard for handisport disciplines in France while advancing inclusion in society. Interview.
France.fr: What are your favorite places in France, and what would be your recommendations for a successful tourist stay during the 2024 Paralympic Games?
Mona Francis: I am a big fan of the Atlantic Coast, the whole Atlantic Coast! Having lived in Nantes, I particularly appreciate the Loire-Atlantique and the wild coast between Pornic, Saint-Nazaire, and the Croisic peninsula. As soon as I can train in open water, I leave my pool training for the ocean. There are a multitude of small beaches and pretty coves around Croisic and Saint-Nazaire. I have a soft spot for Sainte-Marguerite beach, a stone's throw from Pornichet and La Baule. It is very friendly and accessible, not too crowded in the spring. You can leave your belongings there and go swimming. I appreciate this tranquility.
Through competitions, I have also discovered regions of France that have seduced me. For example, the city of Montélimar, south of Lyon. We are in the Rhône Valley, not far from Provence. I appreciate the climate, the people, the setting... It's very pretty!
France.fr: You live and train in the Loire Valley, another favorite place?
Mona Francis: I settled in Sandillon, not far from Orléans in the Loiret department, so that I could cycle along the Loire on the Loire à Vélo route, which is so beautiful! Whatever the season, it's magnificent, all the time, every day. Above all, it's a very well-developed cycle path with its own right-of-way. I also chose it for its practical side. In an athletics wheelchair, it's safe, clean, free of obstacles and roots. For that reason, it's a route for everyone, ideal for families, for example. And for sportsmen, it's a dream! I don't look at the scenery much, but even when I'm making a big effort, it's nice to cycle like this.
France.fr: And the Loire Valley castles are not far away...
Mona Francis: Yes, for athletes and non-athletes alike, discovering the Loire à Vélo route, and especially this portion in the Loire department around Orléans, is a good idea. We are not far from Paris where the triathlon events are taking place and the Loire Valley castles are easily accessible by bike thanks to numerous loops and circuits. For example, I'm thinking of the one in Sully-sur-Loire, which can be combined with a visit to Orléans and its cathedral... There's plenty to do. I highly recommend it!
France.fr: So many reasons not to miss the Paralympic Games in France?
Mona Francis: You must come! There will be athletes, there will be performances. The public will be amazed and experience great emotions. Beyond disability, it is also an opportunity to discover little-known sports that we rarely hear about, and to meet top athletes. We hope to be supported by the public, and not just the French!
