BENOIT Nathalie

Date of Birth: 12 Jun 1980

Age: 41

Gender: Female

Sport Class: PR1

Place of birth: AIX-EN-PROVENCE

Birth Country:

France

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Rowing	PR1 Women's Single Sculls - PR1W1x	3

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Sea Forest Waterway	PR1 Women's Single Sculls - PR1W1x Heat 1 #1	Finished
	Sea Forest Waterway	PR1 Women's Single Sculls - PR1W1x Repechage 1 #9	Finished
	Sea Forest Waterway	PR1 Women's Single Sculls - PR1W1x Final A #21	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Rank	Event	Year	Location	Result
Paralympic Games
2	AS Women's Single Sculls - ASW1x	2012	London, GBR	5:43.56
World Championships
1	AS Women's Single Sculls - ASW1x	2010	Hamilton, NZL	6:43.18
2	PR1 Women's Single Sculls - PR1W1x	2019	Linz, AUT	10:24.07
2	AS Women's Single Sculls - ASW1x	2011	Bled, SLO	5:41.39
2	AS Women's Single Sculls - ASW1x	2009	Poznan, POL	5:29.95

Playing the violin. (bienetreetequilibre.com, 09 Oct 2018)

Occupation:

Athlete, Teacher

Sports Science, Teaching

Languages spoken:

Charles Delval [national], FRA

Other sports:

At the time of her diagnosis, she was competing in pentathlon for a club in Aix-en-Provence, France. She has also represented France in wheelchair basketball. (franceolympique.com, 01 Dec 2010)

She began rowing in 2008 in Marseille, France, at the Cercle de l'Aviron de Marseille. (franceolympique.com, 01 Dec 2010)

She initially represented France in wheelchair basketball, but wanted a sport in which she could get out of her wheelchair. Rowing had interested her for a while, and when an adaptive rowing programme for athletes with an impairment opened up in Marseille in 2008, she joined immediately. (franceolympique.com, 01 Dec 2010)

To win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (calameo.com, 01 Oct 2019)

Winning silver in the arms only single sculls at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (bienetreetequilibre.com, 09 Oct 2018)

Philosophy:

"I have the will and desire for taking up challenges, of being always independent. I have adapted to life with my strong character." (bienetreetequilibre.com, 09 Oct 2018)

In 2012 she was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit by the French government. (legifrance.gouv.fr, 31 Dec 2012)

She was named 2009 Rower of the Year by the French Federation of Rowing Societies [FFSA]. (avironfrance.asso.fr, 20 Mar 2010)

General Interest

Classification
PR1 (worldrowing.com, 03 Jun 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (franceolympique.com, 01 Dec 2010)

Impairment Details
She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 at age 17. "After I was diagnosed, I endured a slow degradation and began using a wheelchair in 2005 because I was really too tired to walk." At the time of her diagnosis, she was competing in pentathlon for a club in Aix-en-Provence. "They told me to stop, but I was depressed without sport, so I took up wheelchair basketball which I discovered in Marseille. It was fun, but I wanted to get out of a wheelchair." (franceolympique.com, 01 Dec 2010)

General
SPORTING CHALLENGES
During a seven-year break from the sport between 2012 and 2019, she took part in a number of sporting challenges to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis. In 2013 she rowed over 1000 kilometres from Paris to Marseille through the waterways of France and in 2018 she competed in the New York City Marathon in United States of America. "I realised that we can make our dreams come true and overcome ourselves without any sort of a doubt, despite an ever-present illness. I had the desire to harden the challenges for me and at the same time to transmit a message for my family, who have always supported me, to show that I was able to go beyond what doctors told me when I was 18. I also wanted to show that we can live and do several things despite the illness." (bienetreetequilibre.com, 09 Oct 2018; WorldRowingFISA YouTube channel, 01 Sep 2019)

BREAK AND RETURN
She decided to take a break from the sport following the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. She announced her return to Para rowing in 2019. "[I returned] for pleasure. It was very stressful [leading up to the 2012 Paralympic Games], every year I had to increase the pressure. I returned for the love of sport. It really exists." (WorldRowingFISA YouTube channel, 01 Sep 2019; Federation Francaise d'Aviron YouTube channel, 31 Aug 2019)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has played the violin as part of an orchestra since 2003. (bienetreetequilibre.com, 09 Oct 2018)

OCCUPATION
She works as a school teacher for the National Center for Distance Education [CNED], a French educational institution that provides distance learning services. (Facebook profile, 13 Jun 2019)

Social Media

Legend

:: Bronze Medal
:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos