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Cécile Saboureau
Personal information
National team	France
Born	14 May 1983 (age 41); Pithiviers, France
Sport
Sport	Paratriathlon
Medal record
Women's paratriathlon
Representing France
European Championships

Cécile Saboureau (born 14 May 1983) is a French paratriathlete. She is a two-time French champion and PTS2 European champion in 2023.

Early life and amputation

During her youth, Saboureau was a professional rider. Beginning at age 12, she had participated in the French and European show jumping equestrian championships and won several titles.^[1] In 2004, when Saboureau was 20 years old. She was the victim of a car accident that caused her to have to amputate a large part of her right leg. After two years of rehabilitation, she wore a femoral prosthesis, resumed equestrian competition and became the French disabled show jumping champion.^[2]^[1]

Career

In July 2018, Saboureau began her paratriathlon career, registered with the Triathlon Club de Saint-Quentin en Yvelines,^[3] won her first French championship in Gravelines in 2018 in the PTS2 category and in December, she was selected for the French team.^[4] In 2020, she won the French paratriathlon champion title for the second time in Quiberon.^[5] Between 2018 and 2021, she stood on the podium several times at the triathlon world cup stages, and rose to 9th place in the world in her discipline.^[6] In addition, she took part in the European Running Clinics, the European para-athletics championships in Berlin organized by Ottobock.^[1]

Though selected for the French triathlon team for the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Saboureau withdrew at the end of July 2021, following a road accident during training.^[7]^[8] On 30 July 2021, Saboureau was in the middle of a cycling training session on a departmental road near Vichy with the French team. While she had priority, a truck cut her off and, not having seen her, her head got stuck in the dumpster and the trucker fled.^[8]^[9] She escaped with several fractures.^[10] To avoid wearing a corset for four months, she chose to have spinal surgery using spinejack cementoplasty.^[10]

Personal life

Saboureau obtained a diploma in equine ethology at the Haras de la Cense in Rochefort-en-Yvelines, as well as a federal certificate in equine handi supervision (BFEEH). She is an equine ethology teacher and riding instructor.^[2] She is president and founder of the Association sport handicap et autonomie (A.S.H.A), she is also an ambassador for Ottobock, whose prosthesis she wears^[1] and the Alice Milliat Foundation. She is also involved in other associations which are "Mobiles en Ville" and the "Association for the defense and study of amputees".^[11] On 14 and 15 June 2018, she volunteered at the fourth edition of the Handisport Paris Open which takes place at Stade Sébastien Charléty.^[1]