“And yes, you're going to cry. Damn, me too”: the emotion of Thomas Rigaudeau and his guide Cyril Viennot at the Paralympics

Les Français Thomas Rigaudeau et Antoine Pérel entourés de leur guide. MAXPPP – Nathalie Bourreau

Deux duos ont été médaillés ce lundi 2 septembre, dont la paire Rigaudeau-Viennot, dans la catégorie PTVI du triathlon paralympique, réservée aux mal et non voyants.

Athletes, para-athletes, high-level athletes… Respect. The sacrifices, preparation and talent it takes to reach the top are colossal. During these Paralympics, one category is more appealing: the visually impaired. Not because of the sporting and intrinsic performance, but especially because an individual event becomes a collective one.

And the triathlon accentuates this impression. The athlete and his guide have three disciplines to manage, transitions to work on, cohesion to cultivate.

So, when Thibaut Rigaudeau and his guide Cyril Viennot, a professional long-distance triathlete, are rewarded with a silver medal, it is the culmination of a titanic work. A dedication of one for the other.

#paris2024 🤩🇫🇷 OH LE DOUBLÉ EN PTVI ! THIBAUT RIGAUDEAU EN ARGENT ! ANTOINE PEREL EN BRONZE !

ILS SONT MÉDAILLÉS PARALYMPIQUES ! QUELLE ÉPREUVE ! QUEL FINISH ! QUELLE JOURNÉE !

ET C’EST PAS FINI 😭

📺 Suivez les #JeuxParalympiques en direct : https://t.co/kOJfhQ7QZO pic.twitter.com/qRog96tyjx

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) September 2, 2024

60~h2 class=”txt-int”>"He trains for me"

“I'll let you talk about it”, Thibaut says, tears in his eyes, to his guide and friend. “Yes, otherwise you'll cry. Damn, me too”, Cyril retorts. Thibaut finally pulls himself together. “We've never argued. In triathlon, everything is measured to the millimeter. You have to know where things are during transitions, be glued to each other. We're always adjusting that, it's a huge job”, says the Paralympic vice-champion. He takes the opportunity to acknowledge his investment. “80% of his time, of his training, he devotes to me. He trains for me. Now, he's going to stop, I have to find someone like him, at least as strong, it's not a given”, he explains.

“A guide must also be able to adapt, never let down, and ensure a lot of parameters. Thibaut suffers from a degenerative disease. He sees less and less, so I have to stay up more and more in the darker places during training", adds Cyril Viennot. With two people, training is twice as hard, the organization is twice as complex. But the final happiness is twice as great. Sport is definitely better with two people.