Gilles de la Bourdonnaye

Gilles de la Bourdonnaye (born January 27, 1973) is a French para table tennis player who competes in international level events. He is a triple Paralympic champion, triple World champion and thirteen time European champion[1]. His right arm was amputated when he was three years old after an elevator accident.[2]

Gilles de la Bourdonnaye
de la Bourdonnaye at 2005 European Championships
Personal information
Born (1973-01-27) 27 January 1973
Dakar, Senegal
ResidenceFlorianópolis, Brazil
Home townNantes, France
Spouse(s)Micha Zakova-de la Bourdonnaye
Sport
Country France
SportPara table tennis
DisabilityAmputation of right arm
Disability classC10
Coached byGrégory Rosec

Sporting career

He started competing internationally at the 1990 World Para Table Tennis Championships and retired in the 2008 Summer Paralympics. de la Bourdonnaye came out of retirement eleven years later, aged 46, when he participated at the 2019 European Championships in Helsingborg where he won his first medal since 2008 when he won a silver medal in the teams events.[3]

He has won team event titles with numerous other competitors including Philippe Roine, Jeremy Rousseau and Matéo Bohéas.[4]

Return to sport

de la Bourdonnaye made his decision to come out of retirement and make a bid to compete in his sixth Paralympic Games by hoping to qualify for the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[5]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.