His mishap on the 100m backstroke (he hit the wall by missing his turn for an improbable disqualification) made social networks smile. There was nothing funny though. “I spent two or three complicated days, explained Yohann Ndoye-Brouard on Wednesday evening after failing in the 200m backstroke series at the microphone of France 2. I received a lot of rather nasty comments. What I did not explain is that I was dazzled, because I have had a little problem with my eyes for a year, in my cornea. I didn't want to make excuses for myself at the time. This is not the first time that I hit the wall, I also had this problem in Budapest
(Editor's note: during the European Championships)
. I'm going to take care of this, I should have an operation in September. "
One of the great hopes of tricolor swimming, 20, suffers from keratoconus (degenerative disease of the eye which results in a loss of the sphericity of the cornea, which then takes the shape of a cone) in two eyes.
This explains why the young man, blinded by the projectors, did not see the flags when he turned into the pool of the Aquatics Center.
The disease of the Insep back-up started at the end of the first confinement in spring 2020 but his visual acuity has dropped dramatically in recent weeks.
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He did not manage to have the operation before the Games but a laser intervention as soon as possible is necessary.
If nothing is done, the disease eventually necessitates a corneal transplant… The swimmer from Annecy is waiting for an appointment at the Rothschild foundation, which specializes in this type of ophthalmic treatment.
Michel Chrétien's pupil is one of the headliners of the "2024 generation" with his best enemy over the distance, the Amiens Mewen Tomac, the medley specialist Léon Marchand or even Maxime Grousset, qualified for the 100m NL final on Thursday.