Cotentin. “Judo allowed me to no longer be afraid”: autistic Asperger, Arnaud is a black belt

In front of the camera TéVi.tva young man dressed in judoka wearing the black belta sign of his excellence in this sport.

Questioned by the journalist who asks him to introduce himself, the young judoka replies:

My name is Arnaud Lelièvre and I have Asperger’s autism. I am 37 years old and I started practicing judo seriously from the age of 13 (after starting at 7, followed by a break at 9). I have been a black belt for 2 years. Judo allowed me to develop my physique and above all to be confident with others.

“Judo allowed me to no longer be afraid”

And to continue:

I had to make a lot of effort to be more accommodating with others. Even if it’s not always easy, because I sometimes have trouble getting in touch. Judo allowed me to no longer be afraid! I hope that my evolution to black belt can serve as an example to other people suffering from this syndrome, that they can be inspired by it, assert themselves more and find their place in society. My goal is to open up to others…

Words that upset the people present that day and who show how much some can suffer from difficulties in their relationship with others, particularly in the case of this syndrome d’Aspergerwhich manifests differently in different individuals.

Also a comedian

It should be specified thatArnaud Lelièvre lives independentlysince he works at the‘You are (Establishment and service of help through work) of theacais (Association in Cotentin for inclusive and supportive support) of La Glacerie (Manche).

In addition to judo, he also practices theater on a regular basis, which also helps him enormously to express himself and communicate.

As pointed out Jacqueline Savarythe president of the bricquebétais judo club:

Arnaud has made incredible progress in terms of speech and the ability to express himself in front of strangers. The proof, he is very comfortable today during this filming and interviews with the various newspapers present. He can be proud of having obtained the black belt and can have the ambition to obtain the second dan one day. He always goes to the end of his ambitions, because he works a lot. The goal of the TéVi.tv program is to make the widest public aware of this kind of situation, to say that everyone has their place on the tatami.

On his side, Patrick Bellotpresident of the departmental committee of judo has the accent on theimportance of supporting the work of different people: “We are proud of you Arnaud. You got the congratulations of the jury for your technique and your black belt. Your journey is good for you, but also for others. You are an inspiring example! »

Encyclopedic knowledge in history

Let us add that Arnaud Lelièvre is not content with being a judo champion and an effective theater actor, he also has knowledge truly encyclopedic in story. Decidedly, a character quite out of the ordinary, whose kindness is matched only by seriousness. Hats off to the artist!

From our correspondent Elisabeth GAVARD

Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow La Presse de la Manche in the My News section. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.