Thierry Corbalan, who on September 1st had to abandon his attempt to swim from the island of Elba to Sisco Beach because of bad weather conditions, made lucky on his second try last Saturday.
The handisport champion left Elba at 3.52 a.m., and reached his destination 60 kilometres away, fifteen hours and forty minutes later : an average of 3.8 km per hour.
Thierry Corbalan, 53, had both arms amputated just below the shoulders after an accident he suffered at the age of 29. He propels himself using a “monofin”, which, in the absence of arms, requires a huge amount of muscular compensation from the muscles of the abdomen and the legs.
Thierry Corbalan’s association, “Le Dauphin Corse” (The Corsican Dolphin), organizes sports challenges and cultural and sporting events for charity, to help people who have become physically disabled due to a handicap or to illness.