Under the scorching sun of Rome, Pascal Héritier at his first selection in an international competition manages to beat his personal best: 687 points, synonymous with seventh place in the qualifying phase of the European Paralympic Archery Championships (the first Paralympic sport never invented) that for the tenacious Valaisan, confined to a wheelchair since 2013, after having been operated on several times for a benign brain tumor, ended at the round of 32, where the 52-year-old from Vétroz was had to surrender to the Icelandic Thorsteinn Halldorsson. «I am a bit disappointed not to be able to overcome one or two extra rounds – confides Pascal Héritier -. I was so close, but the mental aspect played an important role ». With his opponent showing the most accuracy, and in the end he won it by only two points.
Victim of hemiplegia, a neurological pathology characterized by paralysis (partial or complete) of one of the two halves of the body, Pascal, however, cannot fail to be satisfied with his first experience with a European. “Overall, I can be very satisfied” says the Swiss, who began to devote himself to archery in 2016, to which he now dedicates more than twenty hours a week, and which has also led him to close in fourth. place the absolute Swiss Championships. In fact, in the arc it often happens that able-bodied and paraplegic athletes meet to compete or train together.
