Alexandra Nouchet

Started: She began her sporting career as a Para swimmer before switching to athletics in late 2020. "I started with Para swimming before re-orienting towards athletics. I think I must have been six or seven when I first saw the Games and I said, 'One day I want to be standing on the top step of the podium at the Paralympic Games'." At age 12 she left her family home in Lille to move to Dunkirk to join an elite training centre. "In sport if you want to achieve you have to make sacrifices, and for me that meant leaving the family home at age 12 to be able to join the training centre that I was part of." (Instagram profile, 01 Mar 2024) Reason: She switched to athletics after taking two years off from sport following her non-selection in swimming for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I did swimming for more than 10 years, and experienced highs and lows. In 2016 I achieved the minimum for the Paralympics in Rio but due to the quota system I was not selected to participate. That really demotivated me and I stopped sport for two years. Then one day my father said to me, 'Failure is not falling down. Failure is falling down and staying down where you fell'. At that moment I said to myself I have to keep progressing, I still have something to prove. So I joined a training centre in Bordeaux as a swimmer still, and then in October 2020 I changed to athletics. In athletics I saw athletes really enjoying their training, laughing and talking, things you can't really do in the pool. That pushed me towards athletics. There's a lot of adrenaline too, which I like." (Instagram profile, 01 Mar 2024; sportmag.fr, 11 May 2023; lessportives.fr, 07 Jul 2023) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 01 Mar 2024) Additional Info: MULTI-DISCIPLINED She has competed internationally in the 100m, shot put, and long jump events. "The 100m allows me to perfect my foundations for the long jump. The shot put I started in March 2023, I really enjoyed it, so we kept going. I don't expect to specialise in one event. I'm somebody who likes to try different things. Working on these three disciplines satisfies that need. Nonetheless, I am aiming to succeed in all three disciplines." (lessportives.fr, 07 Jul 2023) OCCUPATION She works for the French energy company EDF under a special contract for elite athletes. "I work in the morning, and the rest of the time is dedicated to training, physical conditioning etc. And my job allows me to work from home when big events like the world championships are coming up." (lessportives.fr, 07 Jul 2023)