Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
S4, SB3, SM4
Further personal information
Residence
Grenoble, FRA
Occupation
Consultant, Motivational Speaker
Languages
English, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish
Higher education
Management - University Pierre Mendes France [UPMF]: Grenoble, FRA
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began swimming competitively in 1992, and took up Para swimming in 1996.
Why this sport?
He was first involved in judo, a sport he practised for 10 years, He became attracted to swimming after watching the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. "[Russian swimmer] Aleksandr Popov and [US swimmer] Matt Biondi showed so much strength, it was unbelievable." After his accident he swam as part of his rehabilitation. He first considered competing in Para swimming after his employer, the mayor of Grenoble, invited him to a function welcoming back the French team from the 1996 Paralympic Games.
Club / Team
Grenoble ALP 38: France
Name of coach
Julien Poirier [club]
General interest
Nicknames
Mr Smet, Sa Saintete (Athlete, 20 Mar 2019)
Hobbies
Travel, skiing. (Athlete, 20 Mar 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing and the 2010 World Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Athlete, 20 Mar 2019)
Hero / Idol
US sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis. (Athlete, 20 Mar 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"They did not know it was impossible so they did it." (Athlete, 05 Sep 2021)
Awards and honours
He received the 2018 Grand Prix Award from the Fair Play International Committee in Budapest, Hungary. (hu.ambafrance.org, 13 Sep 2019)
He was named a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in recognition of his performances at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (legifrance.gouv.fr, 14 Nov 2008)
He was named a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in recognition of his performances at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (legifrance.gouv.fr, 14 Nov 2008)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris and then retire from elite swimming. (Athlete, 05 Sep 2021)
Impairment
He was involved in a car accident in 1995, which resulted in partial quadriplegia. He has some degree of paralysis in all of his limbs, and has also lost sensation in his hands. (Athlete, 20 Mar 2019; 20minutes.fr, 09 Sep 2008)
Other information
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In December 2017 he was elected to serve as a member of the World Para Swimming Athletes' Advisory Group [AAG] from 2018 to 2021. In 2018 the region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in France selected him as ambassador for its 'Sport & Disability' programme. In 2016 he was named a member of the Athlete's Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee. He also serves in the same role at the French National Olympic and Sporting Committee and at the French Anti-doping agency. (Facebook profile, 25 Feb 2020; LinkedIn profile, 18 Mar 2019; placegrenet.fr, 04 Sep 2018; paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2017; wechamp-entreprise.co, 2020; apf-francehandicap.org, 25 Oct 2021)
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
He uses his platform as an elite athlete to promote environment issues. "When I was a young boy I wanted to be oceanographer just like [French sea explorer] Jacques Cousteau in order to understand the oceans and learn how to protect them. I am an ambassador of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund [UNICEF] project named 'La nuit de l'eau' [The night of the water]. As a high performance athlete I think I have a responsibility to transmit a message to the people. Being an ecologist is, above all, a matter of education." (Instagram profile, 14 Nov 2020)
In December 2017 he was elected to serve as a member of the World Para Swimming Athletes' Advisory Group [AAG] from 2018 to 2021. In 2018 the region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in France selected him as ambassador for its 'Sport & Disability' programme. In 2016 he was named a member of the Athlete's Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee. He also serves in the same role at the French National Olympic and Sporting Committee and at the French Anti-doping agency. (Facebook profile, 25 Feb 2020; LinkedIn profile, 18 Mar 2019; placegrenet.fr, 04 Sep 2018; paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2017; wechamp-entreprise.co, 2020; apf-francehandicap.org, 25 Oct 2021)
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
He uses his platform as an elite athlete to promote environment issues. "When I was a young boy I wanted to be oceanographer just like [French sea explorer] Jacques Cousteau in order to understand the oceans and learn how to protect them. I am an ambassador of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund [UNICEF] project named 'La nuit de l'eau' [The night of the water]. As a high performance athlete I think I have a responsibility to transmit a message to the people. Being an ecologist is, above all, a matter of education." (Instagram profile, 14 Nov 2020)
Results
Unit | Date | Rank |
---|
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 1 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 1 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 1 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Final Round | 3 | ||
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Heat 2 | 2 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Medley 20pts | Final Round | 9999 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Medley 20pts | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Freestyle 20pts | Final Round | 3 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Freestyle 20pts | Heat 1 | 1 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 1 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 150 m Individual Medley SM4 | Heat 1 | 2 | ||
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Final Round | 2 | ||
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Heat 1 | 1 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 1 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 1 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 1 | ||
Men's 150 m Individual Medley SM4 | Final Round | 5 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 1 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heats | 2 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2 | ||
Men's 150 m Individual Medley SM4 | Heats | 5 | ||
Men's 150 m Individual Medley SM4 | Final Round | 5 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Heats | 2 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heats | 4 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 4 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 4 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 2 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 3 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 2 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 4 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Freestyle 20 pts | Heat 1 | 5 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Medley 20 pts | Final Round | 7 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Medley 20 pts | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
Men's 4x50 m Freestyle 20 pts | Final Round | 7 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 7 | ||
Men's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 8 | ||
Men's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 9 | ||
Men's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 10 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2012-08-31 | 2 | |
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 2012-08-31 | 2 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-05 | 1 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2012-09-05 | 3 | |
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Final Round | 2012-09-06 | 6 | |
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-06 | 3 | |
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2012-09-08 | 2 | |
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-08 | 1 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final 1 | 2013-08-12 | 3 | |
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 2013-08-12 | 3 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final 1 | 2013-08-15 | 4 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 2013-08-15 | 5 | |
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final 1 | 2013-08-16 | 4 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-13 | 6 | |
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final 1 | 2015-07-13 | 5 | |
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 2015-07-14 | 3 | |
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final 1 | 2015-07-15 | 3 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final 1 | 2015-07-16 | 3 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-16 | 4 | |
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Heat 2 | 2015-07-19 | 8 | |
Men's 50 m Backstroke S4 | Final 1 | 2015-07-19 | 7 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-08 | 2 | |
Men's 100 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2016-09-08 | 4 | |
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2016-09-13 | 5 | |
Men's 200 m Freestyle S4 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-13 | 3 | |
Men's 50 m Freestyle S4 | Final Round | 2016-09-17 | 2 |