Boccia, a precision sport, is transforming Lou Turon-Laborde’s life. Champion of Occitanie, he is also the youngest player in the top 20 in France and the only representative of the department at the French championships. He trains twice a week in Tarbes with the help of his game assistant, Maëva.
This Friday, Lou Turon-Laborde travels to Beaucouzé in the Angers region for his second French Boccia championship. Two and a half years ago, Lou discovered Boccia (a boules sport similar to pétanque for people with disabilities) through a handisport school that introduced him to the practice. Since then, he has been progressing rapidly.
Currently the champion of Occitanie and in the top 20 in France, Lou is gradually becoming a hope for the discipline. To this day, he is the only one from Hautes-Pyrénées and the youngest selected for the French championship. “Boccia has given me confidence and has shown me that I can do things that I thought were impossible,” says the teenager.
From discovery to competition
Afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy since the age of 5, Lou has been in a wheelchair since he was 10. He competes in the BC3 category where athletes use a ramp to send the ball onto the court.
Beyond leisure, Lou finds real pleasure in excelling in Boccia: “I aim for the highest,” emphasizes the young competitor. Evolving in a sport that is becoming popular since its inclusion in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Boccia has around twenty licensees in the region without age limits. He plays with a game assistant, Maëva, who introduced him to the sport, as explained by his grandmother Paulette: “It’s a team effort, without Lou or Maëva there is no Boccia.”
His assistant is closely involved in his results and has noticed his talent: “He has the potential to be the future of Boccia.” Winning the regional championships twice in a row, he is now at the brink of the elite category he had the opportunity to face and even defeat during a national open Boccia event. For his upcoming French championships, he expresses his ambitions: “I hope for a podium,” and the Olympics remain a dream that he keeps in mind. But Lou remains very ambitious, as confirmed by his grandmother: “He is a great competitor, he loves to win.”
A sport where every detail matters
In his category, Lou has a graduated and adjustable ramp horizontally and vertically to the millimeter, controlled by Maëva, who faces away from the game and follows only Lou’s instructions. With his gaming partner, the instructions are the same and in a precise order: the direction of the ramp, the height, and the choice of the ball. Every detail of the ball’s push to the millimeter of the ramp position counts. “I realize that I can do more than I imagined. And I am proud to represent Occitanie with Maëva in this Paralympic sport,” he explains.
With 6 balls per round, he can choose which one to use based on their density to perfect his shot. He also has a table that he prepares for two days before competitions to note the distances covered by each of his balls, which vary depending on the floors, ramp height, and ball.
Similar to pétanque, the goal is to get closer to the “jack” or “erase” the opponent’s balls if needed, as explained by the young player. But Lou’s favorite move is pointing.
Support from family ready for his success
Lou trains twice a week in Tarbes to improve his level, and recently he also has a specialized coach. A Boccia reference in Paris, who visits him 2 to 3 times a year and conducts monthly video conference training sessions: “It’s also to push him to his limits, with me he would have evolved slower, I think,” explains Maëva.
His grandmother who accompanies him regularly is proud of his accomplishments, “it’s fantastic, he just has it,” and also of the human relationships he maintains, especially with Maëva. “It’s magical, he lives, he achieves, he exists.”
Practicing a very expensive sport (the ramp costs at least 3000 euros), Lou’s parents have created an association called “Pas de Lou” which he proudly displays on his equipment, particularly on his ramp where the association’s name is engraved. “We are all behind him,” emphasizes his grandmother, who is also delighted to see him engage, “in this case, he really likes the console, and it prevents him from playing too much.”
Today, Lou finds himself in this sport, realizing that he can excel in this field: “I thought that sports were not for me, but in fact, I was wrong.”
