Below-the-knee amputee, Jean-Baptiste Alaize has just earned his spot for the World Para Athletics Championships, which will be held in London from July 14 to 23. Thirsty for revenge, the long jumper from Nice Côte d’Azur Athlétisme aims to win his first world medal there.
Thanks to a jump of 6.59 meters, achieved twice in Monaco and then in Montgeron (Essonne), Jean-Baptiste Alaize is preparing to return to London for the World Para Athletics Championships.
The 26-year-old athlete has bitter memories of the English capital, which hosted the Paralympic Games in 2012. Eliminated in the heats of the 100m and 200m, he finished seventh in the long jump and was disqualified in the final of the 4x100m relay with the French team. A disappointment that has driven him to double his efforts and become among the very best in the world today.
Born in Burundi on the eve of a terrible civil war, Jean-Baptiste Alaize has already overcome many obstacles. He was amputated below the knee after receiving several machete blows at the age of three, and was sent to France at the age of seven to be fitted with a prosthesis.
Adopted by a French family in Montélimar, the teenager first excelled in horse riding before becoming passionate about athletics. His early career was meteoric, crowned with four junior world champion titles between 2007 and 2010.
Sporting ambitions and… cinematographic ones!
A few months ago, he also acted in the upcoming film by Franck Dubosc, “Tout le monde debout,” a comedy about disability that will be released on March 14, 2018. “I had this opportunity and I jumped at it,” he says. “When I was little, I wanted to be an actor. Thanks to athletics, I was able to enter the world of cinema. It went very well. Franck told me that I could be a very good actor if I really committed to it. If the film is a hit, I might be invited to the Cannes Festival and surely receive other offers!”
by Camille Vandendriessche
