Tokyo 2020 Paralympics news - From a shark attack to becoming 'baby shark' - the remarkable story of Laurent Chardard
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Published 24/08/2021 at 15:49 GMT
A passionate surfer who was rarely out of the water, tragedy almost struck Laurent Chardard when he was attacked by a shark, but he was able to defend himself despite losing an arm and a leg. Ahead of his involvement in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he talks about the resilience which has defined his recovery.
Laurent Chardard
Image credit: Getty Images
There are meetings which can change your life. Laurent Chardard had one in August 2016.
An engineer originally from Reunion, the Frenchman was passionate about surfing, and could not turn down the chance to surf at Boucan Canot.
The area is meant to be secure. “There are anti-shark nets which have been installed,” he explained last July for the programme ‘Unbreakable’ on FranceTelevisions.
“But, that day, the waves were a bit too strong and the theory is the sharks were able to get past." As he came out of a wave: the most terrifying encounter of this life, and the most dangerous one too, was waiting for him.
“Going back to where there were other surfers, it's where the shark took my right arm and dragged me under water,” recalls Chardard.
“To make him let me go, I had to hit him with my left hand and get back on my board, to tell the others and find out the damage: I no longer had a right arm.”
But the shark was not finished with him. “He had a second attack, for my leg this time,” Chardard continued.
“He dragged me again and I had to hit him again to make him release me, this time with the left leg, to get back on my board. This time, the emergency services were there and they took me to hospital by helicopter.”
Chardard had his left arm and right leg amputated, and many would not have recovered. Many would have been unable to overcome the trauma. He could. “Resilience is obviously something that defines me”, he said in an interview for Views. “It’s important to accept things, the difficult situations. You have to keep trying to progress.” And that’s what he has done as he is set to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Becoming a 'baby shark'
He found that swimming was his way back to finding the sensations he once enjoyed with surfing. “Swimming is an activity which is particularly adapted for his re-education, it was adapted with a special framing,” explained Pierrick Giraudeau, the attache for Performance and High Performance of the French Federation of Handisport.
“We know that swimming is a very restrictive sport in terms of training. We came up with a schedule that would interest him, and suggested a progressive programme that was adapted that allowed him to still surf. And that worked.”
Performing right away, Chardard began competing in 2017/18 and immediately won a medal at the French national championships.
“It was how I qualified for the world championships,” he told FranceTV. "And at the 2019 world championships I was the runner-up, and that opened the doors to Tokyo.”
But, despite the work and the difficulties, and those partners who had nicknamed him affectionately “Baby Shark,” nothing could prevent him from pursuing his true passion.
“He trains now at a high sporting level in classic swimming, but we made small alterations in the week,” explains Giraudeau.
“For example, instead of suggesting that he goes to swim 4km, 5km, or 6km at the swimming pool, his trainer will suggest he goes for a surf if the conditions are right, as he lives in Bordeaux, not far from Lacanau. It’s enough to keep his morale at its highest, ahead of the Paralympics."
Chardard said to Unbreakable: “I’m going to Tokyo in the context of Paris 2024. In fact, I want to shine in front of my friends, my family because it is going to be an unbelievable celebration.”
His meeting with a shark has changed his life, but it has not taken away his joie de vivre and his wish to return to the water. And that may be the most important thing.
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