Mano Mioulet

Mano Mioulet will carry the Olympic torch. This is his story:

Mano, aged 17, tackled the challenge of the Grand Raid de la Réunion last October despite his cerebral palsy. Alongside the Ensemble Déplaçons Les Montagnes team, he covered 95 kilometres and tackled an elevation gain of 5,000 metres on a joelette.

Mano has put in the hard yards over the years to approach this event in peak mental and physical shape. He has taken part in numerous trails, including the Lozère Trail (53 kilometres), the Duo Etoilé in Chamonix Mont-Blanc (21 kilometres of night-time mountain running) and, most recently, the Marathon-Race in Annecy (40 kilometres). What drives Mano and his team is the belief that beyond the sporting achievement, he can prove that limits exist where we choose to place them.

Even with disability and its challenges in his path, it should not deter him from embracing life wholeheartedly. This project was not just about sport; it was a genuine human adventure. Handing the Olympic torch to Mano embodies the essence of sport for all and the values that go hand in hand with it, such as tending to relationships, combating isolation and facing challenges with confidence and verve. Sport changes perceptions about disabilities, while achievements give us a better understanding of the differences that make people unique.