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| “I would be ready to do anything to show my coaches that they were right to believe in me," says Lionel Pisoni. " I could not live without sports. Sports are my life.” |
An accomplished runner, Lionel Pisoni, 36, ran his first athletics (track and field) competition in 1995. He holds medals from many integrated and mainstream sports events as well, including the Venise, La Rochelle, and Fort de France marathons; the Poitou track-and-field championship; the Royan triathlon; and, in cycling, the Tour de France.
“I also have competed in Special Olympics events and in the Paralympic Games,” Pisoni says. “I like to win, not just for myself, but also for my coaches. For the 1996 Venise Marathon, I was so motivated to show them what I could do that I trained on my own every day.”
Pisoni lives in an apartment by himself, about 10 kilometers away from his parents in Charente Maritime. His proud father gives him diet tips before competitions. Pisoni’s sports schedule is a family affair; all members of his family know his competition calendar.
Pisoni, who works at a restaurant, leaves his job several afternoons a week to train with his coaches, Stephane Garcia and Alain Deletoille, at Ferme de Magne, a residential center for individuals with mental handicaps. “The relationship we have with athletes like Lionel goes beyond sports,” says Deletoille.
“Ferme de Magne is a blessing for me,” adds Pisoni. “I would be ready to do anything to show my coaches that they were right to believe in me. I could not live without sports. Sports are my life.”
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