Wednesday September 8, Belleneuve in Côte-d’Or celebrated its champion. This town, cradle of Léa Ferney’s family, organized a ceremony to salute the Paralympic course of the young table tennis player.
A craze around the young champion
“I’m happy. They support me. I am happy“. After the celebration of the French Paralympic team on Sunday at the Trocadero in Paris, Léa Ferney was able to measure the support of the inhabitants of Belleneuve yesterday. A ceremony was organized in his honor.
During the competition, banners had flourished in the village. Messages of encouragement and congratulations poured in on social media.
In this town where her grandparents live and where she spent all her vacations, we were thrilled for this young 17-year-old table tennis player, with a chromosomal deficiency. His Paralympic epic, which ended at the end of August in Tokyo with a silver medal, was followed with enthusiasm and a touch of chauvinism.
“She is a native of the country even though she lives in Dijon. Everyone knows Léa, her kindness and her broad smile“, explains Marc Boeglin, mayor (SE) of Belleneuve.
A sporting feat
At the Belleneuve table tennis club, where the young woman was introduced to this sport, we can measure the progress made. “When she came, she was picking up balls instead as she was only 5 years old. At the Games, she was the one who made these opponents collect the balls. So much she made them run“, laughs Jean-Noël Raillard, the president of the Club Pongiste Belleneuvois.
Léa’s relaxed game, despite the stakes, impressed these enthusiasts of this sport. Qualified late for the Tokyo Games and world number 16, the young athlete has surpassed herself to hold the high for the best in her discipline.
Léa Ferney can therefore only dream of doing better in Paris in 2024, by winning Paralympic gold. For this, she trains 15 to 20 hours per week at Dijon Table Tennis club while continuing his studies in hospitality. In this endeavor, she knows that she will be able to count on the support of those close to her and the inhabitants of Belleneuve.
The report by M. Barate and R. Liboz with:
- Marc Boeglin, Mayor (SE) of Belleneuve
- Léa Ferney, silver medalist in table tennis at Tokyo 2020
- Lea’s grandparents
- Jean-Noël Raillard, president of the Club Pongiste Belleneuvois
Léa Ferney celebrated by Belleneuve
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