WHO WAS MANU LACROIX?

 

Manu suffered an accident in 1976 (at the age of seven) which caused him to lose his left hand.
Far from being discouraged, this Tignous has made sport an everyday battle by becoming a complete and efficient athlete.

 

SWIMMING

Indeed, a year later, he began swimming and, through perseverance, won the Gold Medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Seoul Paralympic Games and 4th place at the Barcelona Games. In this way, he secured his career by becoming a lifeguard at the age of 20 after preparing for and passing a State Swimming Certificate (BEESAN) and the first aid certificate.

 

NORDIC SKIING AND ATHLETICS

A very eclectic sportsman, he practices Nordic skiing and finished 12th in 1992 in Lillehammer. It should be noted that he participates in this discipline with only one stick. This did not prevent him from being present four times at the Transjurassienne, an event covering a distance of 80 kilometers. Athletics tempted him and, in 1996 in Atlanta, a new sporting experience opened up before him, where he finished 2nd in the 1500 meters and 3rd in the 5000 meters. His personal bests: 800m / 1'56, 1500m / 4'03, 5000m / 15'25

 

OLYMPIC GAMES

Emmanuel participated in eight Paralympic Games during which he won 13 first places and numerous other distinctions which earned him the decoration of "Commander in the National Order of Merit" by the President of the Republic Jacques CHIRAC.
His will and the desire to overcome difficulties made him participate in the French Elite Triathlon Championship for able-bodied athletes in 1996, where he finished 20th. That same year he finished 150th in the Zurich "Ironman" triathlon where he had to cover: 4 km swimming, 180 km cycling and finishing with a 42.5 km marathon.

 

J.O. winners

1988 at the Seoul Paralympic Games in swimming
gold medal in 4x100m crawl
silver medal in 100m crawl
bronze medal in 100m breaststroke
1992 at the Barcelona Paralympic Games in swimming
1994 at the Lillehammer Paralympic Games in Nordic Skiing:
finalist in biathlon and 20 km classic
1996 at the Atlanta Paralympic Games in Athletics:
bronze medal in the 1500m
bronze medal in the 5000m
1998 at the Nagano Paralympic Games:
silver medal in biathlon (7.5km)
bronze medal in 10km skating
2000 at the Sydney Paralympic Games in Athletics:
silver medal in 1500m
bronze medal in the 4x400m relay
2004 at the Athens Paralympic Games:
bronze medal in the 4x400m relay
2006 at the Paralympic Games in Turin
biathlon and cross-country skiing

 

PALMARES

European Swimming Championship:
1986: silver medal in 100m freestyle silver medal

in the 100m breaststroke

French Swimming Championship:
1990 and 94: 1st in the 50m and 100m freestyle
1991, 92 and 93: 1st in 100m breaststroke, 100m and 50m freestyle

French Athletics and Triathlon Championship:
1995: 20th in the Triathlon (valid) and 25th in the Zurich Ironman Triathlon
1996: 1st in 1500m and 5000m
1998: 1st in the 5000m and selected for the “able-bodied” French half marathon championship
2001: 1st in the 400m and 1500m indoors
2002: 1st in 400m, 1500m and 3000m
2004: 1st in 800m and 1500m

Nordic Ski Championship:
1997: 1st in the 20km skating and 10km classic of the French Championship 2nd in the 20km skating, 3rd in the biathlon at the European Championship
1998: 1st in the 10 km skating and biathlon of the French Championship
1999: 1st in the 10 km skating of the French Championship
2005: 1st in the biathlon of the French Championship 3rd in the biathlon (7.5km) of the World Championship
2006: 1st in the biathlon and 20km classic of the French Championship Winner of the Coupe de France

Cycling Championship:
1996: 3rd in the French Handisport Road Championship
2001: 1st in the 20km of the French Handisport Road Championship

Manu unfortunately died of a heart attack in 2008 while training for the Beijing Olympics.