Paris 2024 Paralympic Games | Para Archery: In a Highly Symbolic Venue, Damien Letulle Falls in the Round of 16

By Thélio Courric (From the Esplanade des Invalides)

2 min|

Picture by OIS/Adrian Dennis

Para archer Damien Letulle was eliminated this morning in the Round of 16, on the Esplanade des Invalides. It was here that he underwent rehabilitation in 1997, after the accident that left him quadriplegic.

Damien Letulle is one of the rare athletes who have competed in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He participated in Atlanta in 1996, and this Sunday morning in Paris, he competed in the Round of 16 in Para Archery, W1 category. On the Esplanade des Invalides, a place particularly symbolic for him, he faced Hungarian Tamas Gaspar.

"A New Chapter in My Destiny"

It’s hard to imagine anything more symbolic: at the Invalides, Damien Letulle competed in front of the place where he underwent rehabilitation in 1997, and also in front of his sports club. After his lost match, the emotional archer showed us these significant places in his life: "When you’re at the foot of the Invalides, it's on the left, there's the hospital. And then on the right, that’s where my club is, the Invalides Sports Club." He added, "Everything for me is based here, it's something incredibly important that has marked my life. And adding this (the Paralympic event), it will be a new chapter in my destiny"

Behind the Symbolism, Disappointment

Struggling in his Round of 16 match, it must be said that his Hungarian opponent was relentlessly consistent. For Damien Letulle, every mistake was costly: with several arrows scoring 4 and 5, the gap quickly widened. The archer admits that he didn’t perform at his best: "I couldn’t bring out the competitor in me when I needed to. A few arrows slipped away from me. I'm obviously disappointed. I had high hopes for this event [...] and it makes me sad. I believe I could have delivered more than that today, and it saddens me."

Despite the disappointment, he knows it will take time to process what he has just experienced: "I expected this to be a powerful moment for me, and it was. In a few days, I will be proud of the journey, of everything I did to get this far"