What makes Dimitri Jozwicki run? The medal that the 27-year-old Paralympic sprinter, European vice-champion in the 100m, dreams of winning at the Games, of course. But also the hope that the media coverage of this major sporting event will shine a spotlight on the situation of high-level para-athletes*.
Coping: When did sport enter your life?
Dimitri Jozwicki : Quite early, around the age of 7-8. We started with football with Rémi, my twin brother. It must have relieved my parents a little that we were letting off steam ! We are a family of three boys. Then, we started playing rugby, which I eventually had to give up. Indeed, receiving violent blows to the back of the head risked making my health problems worse.
FF: Your disability was diagnosed quite late. How did you experience this announcement?
D.J : It was a real relief because I was said to be a lazy little boy. However, I simply could not keep up with the other children because of my motor disorders. I have tetraparesis, in other words partial paralysis of all four limbs, linked to my extreme prematurity. I was born at 5 and a half months and weighed 800 grams. I survived multiple operations related to necrotizing enterocolitis. I have kept muscular after-effects.
The trigger was watching Christophe Lemaitre run at the European Athletics Championships in 2010
FF: When did you discover athletics?
D.J : In 2010, my brother and I watched the European Athletics Championships on television, which were held in Barcelona. Christophe Lemaitre won three gold medals (in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m, editor’s note). Rémi and I identified with this athlete and his career. We then had a spark for sprinting and decided to start in 2011. I first ran as an able-bodied athlete and in 2016, I discovered para-athletics. I joined category T 38
In the life of a sprinter, everything can be decided in a thousandth of a second. It’s cruel, but that’s also the beauty of my sport.”
FF: Did your disability distance you from your brother?
D.J : I have never felt jealous of my brother and, conversely, he has never felt guilty. We are inseparable. When I discovered para athletics, he became a guide for a visually impaired athlete. This led him to change his study choices towards a Staps (science and technology of physical and sports activities) course.
The golden age of a sprinter? Between 26 and 32 years old
FF: What are the difficulties of your discipline?
D.J : I have no right to procrastinate. I have to constantly push my limits. I can train until I throw up sometimes, the physical effort is so intense. In the life of a sprinter, everything can be decided in a thousandth of a second. It’s cruel but that’s also the beauty of my sport.
FF: How do you feel about your sport?
D.J : The golden age of a sprinter is between 26 and 32, so I’m going all out! Knowing that I’m also aware that everything can stop overnight. It helps to put things into perspective.
FF: Are you referring to what happened to you in 2021 after the Tokyo Games?
D.J : Yes. I almost died from a severe intestinal obstruction. The doctors told my family : « High-level sport is over. » And I got back on my feet. But I keep that in mind.
Sport must help break down barriers
FF: What does playing sport bring to your daily life?
D.J : Sport has allowed me to maintain my physical abilities. But it has also helped me to flourish, to feel fully included in society. When I started competing, I gained self-confidence. Although it does not define me as a person, my disability is part of me. Today, I would not change it for anything in the world, because this situation has allowed me to run in the most beautiful stadiums in the world.
In October 2023, for example, I did an internship in Spain in the Sierra Nevada. The training center was located 2 300 meters above sea level. I woke up in the morning literally with my head in the clouds. ! It was physically intense, due to the lack of oxygen, but magical.
At the Paralympic Games, people will quickly forget that they are watching parasport. They will be in front of athletes and they will see their abilities, not their difficulties.
FF: You regularly speak. You make interventions in companies and schools on the subject of disability. Is this also the role of an athlete according to you?
D.J : I am convinced that sport should not only serve to win medals. Even if I love it ! As an athlete with a disability, I feel invested with another mission. That of using high-level sport as a platform, to talk about disability and inclusion through sport. It must help to break down barriers, to change mentalities. For me, it is another form of reward to have this impact.
At the Paralympic Games, people will quickly forget that they are watching parasport. They will be facing athletes and they will see their abilities, not their difficulties. The idea is not to be in denial of disability, but in a change of perspective, which is no longer solely focused on the deficiency.
Chasing sponsors and funding
FF: You have a job within APF France Handicap, sponsors (Decathlon, L’Oréal, etc.) and you are part of the association’s Athletes Team. But you still have to juggle training and professional life. What can you tell us about the status of a high-level athlete?
D.J : I am indeed an occupational therapist two days a week at the APF France Handicap TechLab, the hub for technological innovation. There, I test equipment designed to make everyday life easier for people with disabilities. I am lucky to practice my profession within a structure that is compatible with my training and to have its support. I am also proud to wear its colours and values.
But many top athletes have to chase sponsors and funding. It is not normal that some of them live below the poverty line. When you have the vocation to become a champion, you have to be able to focus on this goal, without having to worry about how to make ends meet. Paris 2024 is also an opportunity to talk about this often-hidden reality.
Dimitri Jozwicki in six dates
February 8, 1997: born in Nancy (54).
2011 : started athletics with his twin brother Rémi.
January 2016: first French indoor disabled sports championships.
2019 : joined Lille Métropole Athletics / Occupational therapist diploma.
2021 : 4th at the Tokyo Paralympic Games / European Vice-champion in Poland in the 100m.
2023 : Expert occupational therapist at the TechLab APF France handicap in Tourcoing (59).
