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He did it. Julien Veysseyre has become the very first below-knee amputee athlete to cross the finish line of theUltra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, one of the most daunting endurance races on the planet. The Frenchman completed the 174 kilometers and 10,000 meters of elevation gain in 44:16, finishing 1475th overall. A performance that will go down as a world first.
Success was far from guaranteed, however. By the second leg, around the 60th kilometer, pain flared up in his sound leg.
"In my head, I was 98% sure I was going to drop out; I wasn't going back out there"
, he admitted at the finish line. It was thanks to the support of his staff, his guides, and a change of prosthetic socket that he was able to get back on track and push through to the end, gritting his teeth.
"Your body is destroyed, you can't put one foot in front of the other anymore, and yet you're capable of doing it again and again. It seemed improbable on paper, and yet that's what ultra-trail is all about."
Julien Veysseyre's journey goes far beyond the realm of sports. After having his right leg amputated below the knee following a workplace accident at age 18, he made sports the engine of his recovery. Crowned world champion in para cross-triathlon in 2023, he then turned to trail running full-time, even leaving his job at a Clermont-Ferrand company in early 2026 to dedicate himself entirely to his training. His rise through the ranks happened step by step on the UTMB circuit, from the CCC in 2025 to various preparatory events throughout the season.
Beyond the feat itself, his challenge carries a message.
"Sport allowed me to rebuild myself, to accept my disability, and to turn it into a strength. The UTMB is a way to show that the limits we think we face are very often the ones we impose on ourselves."
A father of two, he hopes his story will inspire others, whether they have a disability or not. Through this finish in Chamonix, greeted with unexpected fervor, Julien Veysseyre proves that the most extreme challenges are no longer out of reach, and helps change the way disability is viewed in sports.
He did it. Julien Veysseyre has become the very first below-knee amputee athlete to cross the finish line of theUltra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, one of the most daunting endurance races on the planet. The Frenchman completed the 174 kilometers and 10,000 meters of elevation gain in 44:16, finishing 1475th overall. A performance that will go down as a world first.
Success was far from guaranteed, however. By the second leg, around the 60th kilometer, pain flared up in his sound leg.
"In my head, I was 98% sure I was going to drop out; I wasn't going back out there"
, he admitted at the finish line. It was thanks to the support of his staff, his guides, and a change of prosthetic socket that he was able to get back on track and push through to the end, gritting his teeth.
"Your body is destroyed, you can't put one foot in front of the other anymore, and yet you're capable of doing it again and again. It seemed improbable on paper, and yet that's what ultra-trail is all about."
Julien Veysseyre's journey goes far beyond the realm of sports. After having his right leg amputated below the knee following a workplace accident at age 18, he made sports the engine of his recovery. Crowned world champion in para cross-triathlon in 2023, he then turned to trail running full-time, even leaving his job at a Clermont-Ferrand company in early 2026 to dedicate himself entirely to his training. His rise through the ranks happened step by step on the UTMB circuit, from the CCC in 2025 to various preparatory events throughout the season.
Beyond the feat itself, his challenge carries a message.
"Sport allowed me to rebuild myself, to accept my disability, and to turn it into a strength. The UTMB is a way to show that the limits we think we face are very often the ones we impose on ourselves."
A father of two, he hopes his story will inspire others, whether they have a disability or not. Through this finish in Chamonix, greeted with unexpected fervor, Julien Veysseyre proves that the most extreme challenges are no longer out of reach, and helps change the way disability is viewed in sports.
He did it. Julien Veysseyre has become the very first below-knee amputee athlete to cross the finish line of theUltra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, one of the most daunting endurance races on the planet. The Frenchman completed the 174 kilometers and 10,000 meters of elevation gain in 44:16, finishing 1475th overall. A performance that will go down as a world first.
Success was far from guaranteed, however. By the second leg, around the 60th kilometer, pain flared up in his sound leg.
"In my head, I was 98% sure I was going to drop out; I wasn't going back out there"
, he admitted at the finish line. It was thanks to the support of his staff, his guides, and a change of prosthetic socket that he was able to get back on track and push through to the end, gritting his teeth.
"Your body is destroyed, you can't put one foot in front of the other anymore, and yet you're capable of doing it again and again. It seemed improbable on paper, and yet that's what ultra-trail is all about."
Julien Veysseyre's journey goes far beyond the realm of sports. After having his right leg amputated below the knee following a workplace accident at age 18, he made sports the engine of his recovery. Crowned world champion in para cross-triathlon in 2023, he then turned to trail running full-time, even leaving his job at a Clermont-Ferrand company in early 2026 to dedicate himself entirely to his training. His rise through the ranks happened step by step on the UTMB circuit, from the CCC in 2025 to various preparatory events throughout the season.
Beyond the feat itself, his challenge carries a message.
"Sport allowed me to rebuild myself, to accept my disability, and to turn it into a strength. The UTMB is a way to show that the limits we think we face are very often the ones we impose on ourselves."
A father of two, he hopes his story will inspire others, whether they have a disability or not. Through this finish in Chamonix, greeted with unexpected fervor, Julien Veysseyre proves that the most extreme challenges are no longer out of reach, and helps change the way disability is viewed in sports.