Cyclist Kévin Le Cunff offered an eighth gold medal to the French team at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Friday by winning the road race (category C4-C5).
Published: September 3, 2021 at 06:46
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Present among a group of five riders who broke away in the first part of the race, Kévin Le Cunff made a final attack two kilometers from the line to win in the pouring rain after 92.5 kilometers (average : 41.1 km/h). “
We finish at two and I go out at two kilometers, I felt that he was a little hard “, describes Kévin Le Cunff.
« I had come to win, even second, I was not interested “, he delivers. These are the 33-year-old runner’s first Paralympic Games. Former professional within the Saint-Michel Auber team between 2017 and 2019, Kévin Le Cunff even has a victory among the able-bodied in the Boucles de l’Aulne in 2018 ahead of the former French champion Arthur Vichot and Guillaume Martin, eighth in the last Tour de France. He is now licensed in Dunkirk.
« I had come to do two or three medals ideally but I missed the first four events, I really had to catch up on the last one and that’s what happened. »
“He puts himself under terrible pressure”
Born with two club feet, he underwent two ankle arthrodeses (blocked by operation) and still has an atrophied calf. However, he only joined the world of disabled sports in 2020, no longer finding a professional contract.
« I told him that there was a real Paralympic project with Tokyo then Paris and that it could change his life on a sporting and human level. “, tells AFP the manager of the French para-cycling team Laurent Thirionet. Kévin Le Cunff scored his first world podium in June at the Para Cycling World Championships by winning a bronze medal.
« We thought he was going to break everything but he had a little trouble, described Laurent Thirionet on the eve of the Games. I think he’s inherently stronger than everyone else but puts terrible pressure on himself that he can’t handle. »
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