Published on: 5th September 2024
Congratulations to Dimitri Coutya on winning gold in the wheelchair fencing Individual Foil B, with a 15-7 victory over two-time defending champion Feng Yanke.
Dimitri came to RNOH as a two year-old, after suffering a spinal cord injury as a result of a road traffic collision, and has been treated here ever since. Since then he’s gone from strength to strength, becoming a Paralympian fencer for Team GB and competing in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, European and World Championships, and is now competing in Paris 2024 Paralympics.
After his win, Dimitri said: "It has been something I have dedicated my life to, especially in the last few years. I really wanted that gold medal. There has been a lot of emotional turmoil that went into it.”
Speaking to us a few years ago, Dimitri had this to say about his experience at RNOH:
“The staff on the ward were brilliant. They worked tirelessly to help keep a two–year-old boy interested in his rehabilitation and ensure that I received the best possible care. Through the physio team’s work, what was supposed to be one of the toughest periods of my life became one of the periods that I worked through the most enthusiastically.”
Thanks to the initial treatment and care he received at RNOH, Dimitri was able to go home and start rebuilding his life, discovering the passion for fencing that has led him to where he is today, competing in Paris 2024.
Image: Reuters