He felt “a lot of emotion” crossing the finish line of the banked slalom snowboard course in Beijing on Friday morning. Niçois Maxime Montaggioni, born without a right forearm, won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games. He will be able to put it away with the others he has already won in the world championships. Even if this one “is different”, he confides to 20 minutes thinking about the next ones he wants to get.
What does it feel like to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games?
It’s completely different from other competitions. It’s much more intense and at the same time, much more satisfying. The feeling is indescribable. I have the feeling of accomplishment. Basically, in the career of an athlete, it is an objective. We imagine it, we dream it but we don’t know if it will ever come true. It’s the most beautiful medal that exists in sport and winning gold is simply incredible. We gave ourselves the means to get there and it’s the best reward.
You went to Pyeongchang without being able to participate in the Games in 2018 because of an injury. How were you feeling this week?
At the beginning of the week, I was eliminated in the quarter-finals in snowboard cross. I finished in the top 10 and it was already good but I still had a feeling of frustration, the same as four years ago, for not having shown everything I could do. For this last test, I knew that I no longer had the right to make mistakes. In addition, for the banked slalom, it’s a lot of technique. I was as determined as I was impatient. And at the same time, I was so afraid of going home empty-handed.
Eventually you won gold, the only title you were missing. What are the next goals?
The next Paralympic Games! When you taste this feeling, you want to relive it. And then, there is one missing in snowboard cross. In addition, the competition is getting closer to home, so it will be wonderful to be able to experience it, surrounded by my loved ones. I think of all the efforts that I made, finally, the counterpart is brilliant.
Was it necessary to shine like you do to shine more light on the Paralympics?
In general, it’s a bit as if in disabled sport, we had the obligation to bring back a medal so that we are talked about in the news. And this year, we were unlucky. We were around the conflict in Ukraine or already in Paris 2024. It’s a shame that it’s not as covered as the summer games. It’s true that you might think it’s more elitist because winter sports only concern a small part of the population, but it’s still very popular. And in disabled sports, it seems that the only window of opportunity is the Paralympics. We want people to talk about us too. It is not necessarily a question of recognition but just of existence. Because we make the same sacrifices and there is the same investment as for other athletes.