France's Maxime Montaggioni on snowboarding with a "spirit of fighting"
Beijing 2022 Paralympic champion Maxime Montaggioni shares his secret to success 29 Jan 2025
A month before winning his maiden gold medal at Beijing 2022, France’s Maxime Montaggioni was not training on the slopes. Instead, he was preparing for his Paralympic Winter Games debut at a mixed martial arts club.
He had not snowboarded for a month but felt ready when he arrived at China’s Genting Snow Park.
“I worked a lot on martial arts because I like it, and I need this. I prepared like a gladiator,” said Montaggioni, who won the men’s banked slalom SB-UL event. “I didn’t put my snowboard on for one month, but I was happy to be back on the snowboard at the Paralympics.
“(Mixed martial arts) helped me be more aggressive, more prepared, physically ready, and mentally ready because I was like Bruce Lee in a movie. For me, the Paralympics felt like a normal day.”
Three years later, the 35-year-old athlete is preparing to return to the podium at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. He also plans to try different sports to prepare for the Games, similar to what he did ahead of Beijing 2022.
“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “But for me, diversity is important to develop your skills in your main sports. So that’s a way to see my preparation for Milano Cortina.
“Everything is organised (so I can) compete in the best condition and to try to get some new medals," he said. “The level (of competition) is higher and higher every season. But I want to trust my capacity, and I will do everything I can to compete and be the best version of myself.”
Snowboarding like a fighter
Montagionni’s journey to the top of the podium started on the Para taekwondo mat. He practiced the sport for over a decade before being introduced to the winter sport by French pioneer Patrice Barattero, who competed at Sochi 2014 where Para snowboard events were added to the Paralympic sport programme.
Training in martial arts has been a key to his success, Montagionni says.
“I come from taekwondo, so I like the spirit of fighting,” the 35-year-old athlete said. “In martial arts, everything is hard when you have an opponent. It’s hard, and you’re tired. Martial arts push your limits, your mental limits and physical limits.”
Montaggioni, who missed PyeongChang 2018 due to injury, says the four-year wait made his victory in the Chinese capital even more special. In the men's banked slalom SB-UL event, he crossed the line with a time of 1:09.41, just 0.40 second ahead of home favourite Lijia Ji.
“When I saw that (I won), it was a very special sensation. All my body, all my muscles, were completely relaxed and it was so special," he said. "It's hard to explain because I think you have to feel it to know what it means."
Finding the spark again
After Beijing 2022, Montaggioni said he struggled to continue training for Para snowboard. He started looking for something that would challenge him again and help with his mental health.
That was when he received a call from the Para taekwondo coach asking him if he was interested in training again.
“I couldn’t refuse so I decided to invest myself in it. But I said, ‘Listen, I haven’t put any kicks for 10 years. I’m not sure I will be good. I’m not sure I will get the level to participate at the Paralympics.’ But he said, ‘No problem, just come try and we will see,’ Montaggioni recalled. “Finally, I had some good rest, and I tried my best.”
He competed at several events, including the Rotterdam 2023 European Para Championships in the Netherlands, but he soon realised that the level of competition had grown so much since he was competing in the sport a decade ago.
“When I came back, the level was so high, and I couldn’t imagine getting a podium in Paris. It’s good because it means that Paralympic sports are more professional, or more spectacular,” he said.
“And finally, I said, ‘OK, to be honest, I won’t perform as I want in Paris, so I prefer stopping the adventure and enjoy it from the outside like a spectator.”
But that decision helped him gain confidence and also motivated him to snowboard again. He also cheered for French athletes at the first-ever Paralympic summer Games in France.
“Finally, I found my motivation back for snowboarding and thought that my place is on the snowboard team, and not on the Para taekwondo team. It was like experiencing life from another vision. But for me, it was important to do my best in Para taekwondo to come back more motivated for snowboarding.”
From Milano Cortina 2026 to French Alps 2030
After being in the stands at Paris 2024, is he targeting French Alps 2030, the second Paralympic Winter Games in France?
He smiles and says he wants to enjoy the competition in the stands and cheer for younger athletes.
“I will do everything I can to compete and be the best version of myself and finish my career in a good way (at Milano Cortina 2026).
“I have lived everything I can in snowboard. I want to get a new view of the Paralympics and enjoy the moment because I have been to Paris 2024 and it was so crazy, the atmosphere and all the good mood.”
“I want to live this in 2030.”