Between Coraline Bergeron and badminton, it’s love at first sight. After an assault, she had to undergo an amputation but, not resigned to changing sports, she opted for her disabled version. At 23, she dreams of a medal and equality between athletes.
“Parabadminton, five grams of feathers, tons of emotions. “ Coraline Bergeron discovered the “bad” in college, at the age of 11. Love at first sight! Challenging at heart, she quickly enrolled in the Saintes club (Charente-Maritime) and continued in departmental competitions. On June 20, 2017, his life changed at just 20 years old. Her companion in the car, she outside. A few seconds later, it is the shock. “He rushed on me on purpose”, she says, now 23 years old. The toll is heavy, the trauma too. Both legs are affected: pelvic fracture, severed femoral artery … Clearly, his tibia is no longer connected to his knee. Surgeons try to save his right leg, but the gangrene spreads too quickly. “Amputation or death?” The choice is quickly made. “ On July 6, 2017, Coraline was amputated.
Sport, a driver of resilience
When she wakes up, she immediately thinks of her reconstruction and already imagines herself racket in hand, basketball in foot. This is its goal, its leitmotif for ” to give everything “ during his rehabilitation and relearn to walk. In three months, it is folded. A record within the Grand Feu center in Niort (Deux-Sèvres)! “The physiotherapist had never seen that, confides the young woman. It usually takes six months to walk again after a femoral amputation and two years for complete healing. “ A year later, driven by a visceral need, she was already taking up badminton, or rather its disabled version. The beginnings of a new idyll …
Paralympic goal
It is to the rhythm of setbacks and other smashes that Coraline tames her new body. She won a first competition, then a second and saw new opportunities open to her. “Parabadminton made me grow and allowed me to reach the high level but also to understand that, even disabled, I am capable of achieving great things and reaching my goals”, rejoices the champion of France who dreams of a coronation at the next Paralympic Games. “This is my ultimate goal”, she enthuses. Good thing, in 2014, the International Paralympic Committee decided to include parabadminton on the list from the Tokyo 2020 Games (postponed to 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic). A “Sign” for the young sportswoman and a “Great opportunity to be seized” !
Valid vs disabled athletes: one “Sacred gap”
For this, she trains at least four times a week, with ever more intensity and demand. “(Para) badminton is one of the most physical sports, and that’s partly why I chose it, continues the competitor. It allows a big surpassing of oneself, to let off steam and requires a lot of rigor, precision, patience. “ Rewarding assets for the young woman “Not of a very patient nature”. Not to mention the solidarity that reigns within the France team, its “Second family”… Only downside: “Impossible to live off parabadminton”, deplores Coraline, noting “A gap between able-bodied and disabled athletes”. “When a valid player wins an open, he pockets a nice check, while we have to ‘content’ a medal “, she regrets.
Join the world’s top 5
So, in parallel with her sports project, she wants to resume her studies. License Staps (sciences and techniques of physical and sporting activities) option adapted physical activity or physiotherapist? His heart swings. She leaves the summer to think. A 180 ° turn for the one who, before her assault, imagined herself a wealth manager. In the meantime, she is preparing for the European Championships which will take place in Dublin (Ireland) in October 2020. Keep her two European vice-champion titles in singles and doubles? Too little for Coraline. It’s gold or nothing! Next goal: integrate the world top five in singles. “Currently sixth, I still have a place to scratch! “, smiles this young ambitious who hears well ” take revenge “ about life. A game won in advance …
“All reproduction and representation rights reserved. © Handicap.fr. This article was written by Cassandre Rogeret, journalist Handicap.fr”
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