The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will open on August 28. Among the athletes preparing to take on all the challenges, Timothée Adolphe seems destined for a medal. But who is he? Zoom in on the blind sprinter.
After the euphoria of the 2024 Paris Olympics, it’s time for the Paralympics in the capital. And among the French chances of medals, we will undoubtedly have to count on Timothée Adolphe. He is also one of the ambassadors of the Louis Vuitton house for these Games.
Where does Timothée Adolphe come from?
Born on December 29, 1989, in Versailles (Yvelines), Timothée Adolphe is a blind sprinter. Visually impaired from birth, he completely lost his sight at the age of 19. But it was at the age of 10 that he started athletics in the Guyancourt club.At first, I wasn’t at all confident when I arrived there, because every time I had wanted to do sport before, I was told that it wasn’t possible, that they didn’t want a disabled person.“, he confided to France 3.
While the club’s leaders had not hidden from the young man their total ignorance of disabled sport, they managed to put solutions in place.They racked their brains to make me able to sprint without seeing the lanes, high jump without seeing the bar.“, added Timothy.
What do we know about Timothée Adolphe’s private life?
The French athlete is a happy man in a relationship. He is also a proud father of a little boy named Tilem, almost 5 years old. He also dedicated a song, posted on his Youtube channel!My nights are short but it is absolute bliss. I don’t know what I have done to my guardian angels for some time now but life smiles on me. I am on cloud nine“, confided Timothée to Parisian shortly after the birth of his son.
Timothée Adolphe: what is his disability?
Timothée Adolphe, who is aiming for gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, has congenital glaucoma, a rare disease that affects intraocular pressure, leading to damage to the optic nerve. Since birth, the condition has left him almost completely blind.
Congenital glaucoma, which can appear very early in life, often requires early medical intervention to try to preserve vision, although in Timothée’s case the damage was irreversible from the start. “For me, my visual impairment is not a handicap, it is a difference, nothing more, nothing less. And, from there, it is up to us to make it a strength”he confided to France Info.
What is Timothée Adolphe’s nickname?
Timothy Adolphe is also known as the White Cheetah. He owes this nickname to his first trainer, Arthémon Hatungimana, who was immediately impressed by his lightning speed and his slender, feline-like silhouette.
Hatungimana, a Burundian athlete well known for his title of vice-world champion in the 800 meters in 1995, spotted Timothée’s potential in 2011 and took him under his wing. They worked together to make the Cheetah’s talents shine. And very quickly, Timothée made a name for himself on the slopes. The nickname White Cheetah also evokes the speed of the feline, and white symbolizes its blindness.
What is Timothée Adolphe’s track record?
Among his many sporting distinctions, Timothée Adolphe won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the 100 meters T11. At the World Championships, he won several medals, including gold in the 400 meters T11 in 2019 in Dubai. More recently, in 2023, at the World Championships in Paris, he won two bronze medals, one in the 100 meters and another in the 400 meters T11.
In Europe, he dominated the European Championships, winning several titles, including in Swansea in 2014 and Grosseto in 2016, where he won gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 metres.
How is it possible to sprint while blind? The athlete is connected to his guide by a link, often a small rope that attaches to their hands. “We run in mirror image, with the same stride, the same arm movements, the same supports. It’s a choreography that we work on every day,” he explained to France 2.
“The principle of mirror running is to be its opposite in order to form only one person. This means that when you see us running in profile in the distance, you will only see one person. Because we imitate each stride, each arm movement.”explained Jeffrey Lami, a visually impaired 400m guide to France 3.
Timothée Adolphe: what hopes for 2024?
“We’re doing very well. I had a bit of a downturn at the end of June – beginning of July because I had a lung infection. But it’s back to normal. All the lights are green. Physically we’re doing well, we’re where we want to be, we’re looking forward to competing and lowering the time even further in the 100, the 400 and possibly going for a record.”he confided to France 3.
As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games approach, Timothée Adolphe is one of the big names to watch closely. With a silver medal already at the Tokyo Games and several world titles under his belt, the White Cheetah seems well placed to make the French colours shine.
