Alex Portal

Started: He took up the sport at age five at the CN Pecq swimming club, where his grandmother served as president, in Yvelines, France. He began competing at age seven with the Cercle des Nageurs de l'Ouest club. "It was my coach, Guillaume Benoist, who informed me in 2016 that I was eligible to compete in Para swimming." (ffnatation.fr, 10 Sep 2021; cyu.fr, 04 Jan 2021; openswimstars.com, 26 Nov 2020; Athlete, 13 Aug 2018) Reason: "I really enjoyed the feeling of being in the water. I also enjoyed the training and so I stayed in this sport. I am proud that my disability has never prevented me from achieving what I had in mind. It has never been a hindrance, and I have never imposed limits on myself to achieve my goals. And of course, I am proud of the results it has allowed me to achieve." (lecoqsportif.com, 01 Jan 2024: cyu.fr, 04 Jan 2021) Ambition: To win medals in each of his four events at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, and share a podium with his brother Kylian at the Games. "My dream is to become a champion, and even if I don't succeed, I will never have backed down in the face of obstacles." (lecoqsportif.com, 01 Jan 2024) Awards: He was named the 2018 Parasport Male Hope of the Year in the Ile-de-France region of France. (actu.fr, 11 Jan 2019) Additional Info: BALANCING SPORT AND STUDIES In 2022 he began studying at the Leonardo da Vinci Graduate School of Engineering [ESILV] in Paris, France. "The adaptations put in place by the school such as the video classes and the chance of managing my time are very useful to manage both my sporting career and my impairment situation." (esilv.fr, 11 Sep 2023) SHARED PARALYMPIC DREAM His younger brother Kylian is also an international Para swimmer. Alex is hopeful that the pair will both qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Games. "I want to train him behind me. Both of us at the Paralympic Games in Paris would be my biggest dream." (leparisien.fr, 15 Dec 2020)

Sporting Relatives: His younger brother Kylian Portal represented France in Para swimming at the world championships in 2022 and 2023, placing third in the S13 400m freestyle at the 2023 edition of the tournament in Manchester, England. (SportsDeskOnline, 13 Oct 2023; leparisien.fr, 15 Dec 2020)