Anthony equipped with his exoskeleton will participate in the Paris half-marathon. - Clément Carpentier / 20 Minutes

  • Anthony Estève, paraplegic since 2014, will participate in the Paris half-marathon this Sunday.
  • The 27-year-old Bordeaux resident will cover several hundred meters by walking with an exoskeleton.
  • It is a first in France.

Yes, yes, it is a feat! For the first time in France, a paraplegic person will participate in a half-marathon by covering a few hundred meters while walking thanks to exoskeleton. The hero: Anthony Estève, a 27-year-old from Bordeaux, registered for the Paris half-marathon, Sunday

"The idea came in the tone of fun with employees of Harmonie Mutuelle (the company which has been lending it equipment for two years) and finally, I took them at their word. The next week, we remembered to organize all of that, ”he explains.

The weather, the only source of concern

Sunday, he will therefore cross the finish line of the Paris event independently and standing after walking the last 500 meters with his equipment. A real test for the one who was victim a fall of more than 15 m at 22 years. So, for several weeks, he has been preparing for the Tour de Gassies, a physical medicine and rehabilitation center located in Bruges, near Bordeaux.

Every day after equipping himself with his “ReWalk” exoskeleton, he walks for almost an hour to prepare for the best. It advances at a speed of 2.4 km / h. Everything is going well. It remains to wait for D-Day: "The difficulties? It's going to be the weather (smile) . Let there be a lot of wind, a lot of rain for example. Because even if it is possible to walk in the rain with this equipment, I do not do it often. "

To succeed in his bet, Anthony Estève will be able to count on Elodie, his loyal physiotherapist. It will help him from a distance "in his outfit, in the weight transfers that he has to perform in order to be able to walk with the ReWalk and also in the straightening of the upper body" which allows him not to lose balance.

VIDEO. Bordeaux: Thanks to this exoskeleton, patients remarket https://t.co/aWet5P8c6K via @ 20minutesBord pic.twitter.com/IXs2hHhs2d

- 20minutesbordeaux (@ 20minutesbord) January 22, 2019

Beyond his personal feat which represents "a lot of pride" for him, the Bordeaux wants to send a message: "I want to show that it is not because we are stuck in a wheelchair that we cannot not get up and we can not participate in a valid race! See you this Sunday, near the arrival of the Paris half-marathon to see Anthony. Standing, and walking.

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