Nike athlete Alexis Hanquinquant has won his second consecutive gold in the Men’s PTS4 race, clocking in a time of 58:01, nearly three minutes ahead of the silver medal finisher. A six-time world champion, Hanquinquant was the flag-bearer for France at this year’s Paralympics.
“I don’t really have a disability, I have a difference,” says the 38-year-old. “We are often seen as people with disabilities who play sports, when in fact we are high-level athletes with a difference.”
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With his legendary performances, Hanquinquant has become a PTS4 icon, a class reserved for triathletes with absence of limbs or whose coordination is affected at a high degree in one arm or at a low-level on one of their sides. During the running and cycling portions of the event, athletes are allowed to use approved prostheses or supportive devices.
Prior to the Games, Hanquinquant was thrilled about the prospect of winning back-to-back golds on home soil. “The real feat is to repeat the feat. Again and again,” he says. With his win in Paris, Hanquinquant has done exactly that.
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Nike Newsroom contributed to this column
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