Cédric Nankin, a passion for wheelchair rugby

Cédric Nankin's home is the Emile-Anthoine gymnasium (7th arrondissement). It was here, a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, that the para-athlete, currently vice-captain of the French wheelchair rugby team and supported by the City of Paris as part of its preparations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, discovered his vocation: "It all started with a meeting with Ryadh Sallem in 2010 (also a member of the French team, editor's note). He was in the process of setting up a wheelchair rugby section within the CAP sport art aventure amitié (CAPSAAA) club, and was looking for players".

At first, Cédric, who suffers from congenital agenesis of the upper and lower limbs, hesitated. "I was afraid of hurting myself. But Ryadh was able to convince me: he took me to a wheelchair rugby demonstration in front of Paris City Hall, and I started in 2011".

That was it. Cédric never looked back and quickly rose to the top of the sport. By 2013, he was already in the French team, before participating in two Paralympics: "In 2016, I took part in my first Paralympic Games in Rio, then I did my second in Tokyo, and I hope to be selected for the 2024 Games". With one objective: a medal.

"The Games at home are huge! Playing in front of your family and a home crowd is a real opportunity. I really hope to win a medal, and not just any medal… the gold medal!"

In 2018, he was even voted best player in his category at the world championships. From February 22 to 26, 2022, he took part in the European Wheelchair Rugby Championships at the Halle Carpentier (13th arrondissement) with Les Bleus: the Tricolores climbed to the top, winning the first title in their history!

Cédric Nankin has fond memories of his first Games in Rio. "It was magical. During the opening ceremony, my head and eyes were filled with joy". A moment experienced as "a reward after all the sacrifices made in training, all the hours spent preparing to be ready for the Games".

Because top-level sport is demanding. For the past two years, Cédric has been juggling a career as a top-level athlete with that of assistant methods manager at SNCF Réseau. His weeks are packed, with trips back and forth between his home in Aisne, his work in Saint-Denis and his training sessions in Paris.

"I'm lucky enough to be able to have a permanent contract and still have time for wheelchair rugby," he enthuses. Physical preparation, team training, video work… Cédric Nankin is dedicated to preparing for the upcoming competitions: after the European Championships in 2022 (and a victory for Les Bleus!), Paris will host the Wheelchair Rugby World Cup in October 2023.

But what does he appreciate so much about this spectacular discipline, which blends the rules of basketball, field hockey and American soccer? "It's a contact sport, with a strong tactical dimension. You have to position yourself to block your opponents, which is a bit like playing chess.

" On the pitch we're adversaries, we're warriors," he smiles, "but off it there's a real atmosphere of camaraderie, much like in rugby."

"The discipline was invented by former Canadian footballers and field hockey players who became quadriplegic as a result of life accidents," recalls Cédric. "For the general public, the rules are sometimes a little complicated to understand, as there are a lot of stoppages in play, and the ball is round to be able to adapt to the players' disabilities."

Since the Tokyo Paralympic Games, where France came 6th, Cédric has noted growing interest from the public and the media. This sometimes hard-hitting sport is even helping to change the way people look at disability. "When we talk about disability, we first think of vulnerability, says Cédric Nankin. But with wheelchair rugby, there are shocks and the players bump into each other: it changes the way people see disabled people!"

A mixed opposition team sport, wheelchair rugby is played with a special manual wheelchair. The aim is to cross the opponent's goal line in possession of the ball, while preventing the opposition from doing the same. >>Find out more about this handi-sport
CAP sport art aventure amitié (CAPSAAA) offers leisure and competitive activities, for both wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball. >>Find out more