Nantenin Keïta – Para athletics

It was 22 years ago that Nantenin Keïta (“Nanto” for her close ones) achieved her first significant result on the international stage (a silver medal at the world championships in the 400 m T13). Since then, the woman from Bamako (Mali) has competed in no fewer than four Paralympics, with a fifth in her sights at the Paris 2024 Games. She has often been successful, as can be seen from her trophy cabinet, which now counts four Paralympic medals, including a gold in 2016 in Rio.

2024 will undoubtedly be a milestone for this determined and inspiring athlete. And with good reason: she will retire at the end of the Paris 2024 Games, her final challenge at home. But before leaving the track, Nantenin Keïta experienced what thousands of athletes dream of doing in their careers: carrying the Olympic flame. On May 8, the sprinter was the first torchbearer to carry the flame on French soil. A moment out of time.

Her disability has never removed her from her goals. Obstinate, she doesn’t think albinism is a weak point, any more than her blindness (she only has 0.7 and 0.8 tenths in her eyes, with difficulties in perceiving colours and distances). As a member of the T13 category, she has been on the podium for 20 years in the 100, 200 and 400m. Her performances have made her one of France’s most successful para-athletes, with 14 international medals to her name.