Youth & Education · Portrait · Sports & Adventure

Higher, farther, with or without a blade

7 August 2024Photos and text: Élodie Loubat30 images

01 / 30 · 7 August 2024Élodie Loubat / Collectif DR

Emilien Passon, 17, is finishing his second year at the Pôle national handisport, in the track and field section. Because of congenital tibial agenesis (a rare malformation in which the tibia is missing), he underwent an above-knee amputation at the age of 11 months. As a child, Emilien was, according to those close to him, “a real ball of energy, impossible to contain.” He then used his disability to multiply his physical and mental strength.

Emilien dreamed of soccer, but when he was offered the chance to try his first running blade, it was a revelation. The sensations were magical: he could go even faster and release his boundless energy without limits. He then took up track and field at age 10, at a club in Metz. At 15, he was spotted by the Pôle national handisport. He left for the CREPS in Talence, Gironde, far from his family, where he combines high-level sport and studies, a crucial balance for any young athlete.

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