That morning, Samir Ait Said arrived accompanied by his brother-in-law and Paralympic athlete Jean-Baptiste Alaize. “Jean-Baptiste, my brother, I knew him at Insep, this guy has a shell. I’ve never met anyone who ate as much as he did. His heart is broken in two, he experienced a genocide, he saw his mother killed in front of his eyes, he was beaten with a machete… So Jean-Baptiste has the right to respect,” summarizes the gymnast, while his long jumper friend is trying to qualify for the Paralympic Games, no longer under the colors of France, but under those of Burundi, the country where he was born.
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“I love people, I don’t know how to be selfish and that’s been a problem for a long time,” Samir continues. I often put others before myself. It’s in my temperament, I can’t see anyone in difficulty. For example, when I’m in discussion with a sponsor, I try to boost other athletes. » The athlete pauses. “No one has ever done it to me the other way around,” he smiles. It doesn’t matter, I’m authentic, I’m not here to play a role. »
