Whatever happened to Axel Alletru ?

Edited copy courtesy of Youthstream written by Pascal Haudiquert.

When Axel was repatriated in France, he had no feeling in his legs after his crash during the first race.

Axel has made huge progress and shows an exceptional motivation when we met him a couple of days ago.

"It was a small crash, and I can’t explain what happened when I landed on the front wheel and fell on my head. When I hit the ground, I had no feeling in my legs and I panicked; my mechanic came straight away, then I was carried to the local hospital and later on to Belgium. Thanks to Johan Boonen, Jacky Martens, Heinz Kinigadner and Wings for Life, I had great people around me who gave me the best pieces of advice, found some medicines and took care of my situation,” explained the twenty years old kid from Lille, in North of France.

One week after his accident, Axel had some feeling in his left leg and since that period he has never stopped working hard to be back on his legs. "I started to feel something in my left leg, then in my right, and day after day I had more feeling. And even if today I still don’t have sensations in all my muscles, I’m able to walk and that’s so important! For sure I have special leg splints and I must use crutches, but it’s so good to be able to walk during two kilometres ! I’m all week long in a re-education centre near Lille, it’s one of the best locations in France and I work with great Physiotherapists,” continued the KTM rider, who has a new goal for next season.

"I know it will be long, but the Doctors told me that I can expect further improvements during the next two years. I’m working harder than ever every day, and I expect to be swimming the next French Paralympics Championships in June. Swimming is part of my re-education program and when the trainers saw me, they suggested me to race; so one of my next goals is to go to the Olympic Games, it’s important to have high goals, when you’re a competitor you need challenges and adrenaline.”

Thanks to Wings for Life and a couple of former riders who supported him straight after his accident, Axel has never lost his motivation and proved to all of us that you must never give up.

"The Doctors were not fair with me, they told me that I would never be able to be a sportsman and it’s tough to hear this. Luckily I got good advices from Georges Jobé, who visited me and explained to me how the Doctors would treat me. He was totally right, and thanks to his words I was able to face the Doctors and prove to them what I can do. Although my progression is minor at the moment, I’m still motivated and I hope I will be able to ride again a motorcycle in the future. I don’t hate motorsports, I had bigger crashes in my career and it was just not my day. When I go to the re-education centre and work alongside quadriplegics, who sometimes just fell from a chair, it brings reality to my situation,” ended Axel.