Manon Genest

Started: She took up athletics in January 2018. (Athlete, 20 Aug 2018) Reason: Before her accident she swam for 16 years and trained in martial arts. She took up Para triathlon following her accident after she was told that sport could help to rebuild her life. She later switched to Para athletics. "I started with 400m. But I was going in circles. I discovered the long jump. From my first competition, I achieved the minimums for the [2020] Tokyo Paralympic Games. I immediately had a blast. The sense of surpassing myself and the chance of going beyond my limits at every training session - that is the drive to improve." (Athlete, 20 Aug 2018; klesia.fr, 13 Nov 2019; lequipe.fr, 03 Dec 2019; tf1info.fr, 25 Jan 2024) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (tf1info.fr, 25 Jan 2024) Awards: She was named the 2019 Sports Star at the annual awards ceremony of French sports magazine, L'Equipe. (lequipe.fr, 03 Dec 2019) Additional Info: BREAK AND RETURN She took a break from the sport after competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo in order to start a family. She gave birth to her daughter Juliette in 2022 and returned to international competition in 2023. "Returning to high performance sport after maternity is not a certain thing. I didn't even know if it was possible to do, I didn't have any reference. [On winning bronze at the 2023 World Championships in Paris, France] I improved my personal best by 20 centimetres. Then I told myself, 'Okay, it's done, I'm back with the big guns'. I think that I surprised everybody, including myself. My coach and I knew that I was able to improve my best but not like that." (lessportives.fr, 15 Jul 2023; tf1info.fr, 25 Jan 2024) OCCUPATION She works for the French Army in Lyon, France, as part of a department responsible for risk prevention at army workplace facilities. (klesia.fr, 13 Nov 2019; handiamo.com, 27 Sep 2019) CLUB SWITCH In 2020 she left the Paris Universite Club to join the Berrichonne Athletic Club in her hometown of Chateauroux. "It was a wish on my part to join the club. The city of Chateauroux has given me a lot. The state of confinement [during the COVID-19 lockdown] made me think about things a lot. There was a human side to sport that was I missing. Berrichonne is a smaller club but I can find myself there." (lanouvellerepublique.fr, 08 Sep 2020)