Six French champion titles, six European champion titles, six world champion titles, one Paralympic champion title, knight of the Legion of Honor… Do you want more? In triathlon, and even elsewhere, since he was French full-contact champion at the age of 24, Alexis Hanquinquant won everything. However, at 37 years old, the Norman continues to run and is preparing to compete in the Games, at home, in a few months, where he will try to retain his title acquired in Tokyo.
Alexis Hanquinquant got into triathlon very late, in 2015, five years after having his leg crushed on a construction site. Very strong very quickly, he established himself as one of the faces of French sport, which he represented in New York a few days ago. For the first time, even if it was not recommended by his coaches, he embarked on a marathon, which he finished in a little over three hours and forty hours. All without any specific preparation.
How is it possible to complete a marathon without preparation, with a good time on top of that?
I left for New York without preparation, just with two short races in my legs to see if I could still run after my two weeks of vacation. Running a marathon with a prosthesis is a bit complicated, because the repeated impacts of running tend to do a little damage to the stump. That’s why I had the idea of doing a semi, and perhaps stopping to preserve my skin. But, stopping three or four times during the race, I saw that it was holding up well, so I told myself I might as well finish.
Why did you choose to do triathlon after having your leg amputated?
When you’ve just had an amputation, you tend to give up. I, in fact, wanted to do the opposite, I wanted to prove to myself and to people that a piece of leg less was no big deal, that I was going to bounce back. To bounce back, I needed a big challenge, with a sport that matched my ambition, and the triathlon became obvious. It is a sport that requires a lot of demands and versatility. I was convinced that this sport was made for me.
Even at the swimming level?
It’s true that this is the big question mark when you get started in this sport. I quickly signed up for a triathlon club, I swam with them, and then after two or three weeks, I switched lines to swim with the best. But it is the discipline that required the most investment and the most work from me. However, I started from a level that was not exceptional at all, even if I have an aquatic streak. Technically, I’m far from being the best swimmer, but since we’re not rated on the technical aspect…
Overall, you were still very good very quickly…
World or European champion titles were not really a goal. What I wanted was to compete in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. I had set the bar quite high at this level, but pressure on the rest of the international races. I had no idea of my level, of the competition, but I very quickly believed in my chances of qualifying for these Games, which were five years after my debut, so I had time.
Have you considered competing with able-bodied people?
Me, I am a triathlete before being a paratriathlete. I am in an able-bodied club, my difference is just that I do triathlon with a blade, otherwise, I am not disabled, and I am able to go faster than most. From time to time, I register for regional races with able-bodied people, I participated in the Fréjus or Deauville triathlon, and it is important for me because it allows me to get out of the paratriathlon spiral and measure myself against to the best regional triathletes and restore the image of paratriathlon. Many people think it’s easy to win in paratriathlon, but when I won the Deauville triathlon last year, it helps to assess the level of Alexis Hanquinquant. And, ultimately, it’s not so easy to win in paratriathlon.
You took part in the Paris test event, which ended up being a duathlon (running and cycling) due to the poor quality of the water…
We had already experienced this in Tokyo, with the cancellation of swimming during the test event. I see this as an injustice. Switching to a duathlon changes the tables, because athletes who are disadvantaged in swimming are generally better in running or cycling. So they no longer become outsiders, but potential future winners. I also did this test event to plan for next year, to have real knowledge of racing, and I cannot draw any conclusions from it.
Is there a risk that this scenario will happen again next year?
We’ve done a lot about the quality of the water in the Seine, but some time ago, we already did triathlon races in waters that were much dirtier, much more polluted than the Seine, and that didn’t matter. never made anyone talk. The pressure around the quality of the Seine is enormous, just like on the shoulders of Paris 2024. On this test event, they did not want to take any risks, but next year, the retention basin will be ready in case storm, and we also have the ability to postpone the race by one day if necessary.
You have the ambition to be the flag bearer at the opening ceremony…
It is certain that I have the ambition to represent my country and to be “captain” of the Paralympic team. It would be a huge honor, and I think I am one of the athletes with the most experience among the French Paralympic delegation. If I can bring my philosophy, to reassure the youngest, to motivate the most seasoned, to transcend those a little older like me… It will take someone very emblematic, regardless of whether it’s me or not, to motivate the troops and collect lots of medals.
Will these Paralympic Games allow for better inclusion of people with disabilities, particularly in clubs, of which, for the moment, only 1.4% say they are para-welcoming?
This is the first time that the Paralympic Games have taken place in France, and it is an incredible spotlight. We really have a way of waking everyone up to what the difference is. We talk about disability, I talk about difference. Everyone is different from each other. There is too much ignorance about what a leg prosthesis is, about the situation of guide dogs… And it is this ignorance that is “scary”. I hope that French society will put a big prosthesis on its buttocks following the JOP and that this project of inclusion will start on its own. That parasport is more and more represented, so that it makes people with disabilities more and more want to do it or for clubs to welcome people, because sport is made to bring people together. The path is underway.