10 years ago, the life of this 40-year-old cyclist changed drastically. A tumor necessitated immediate amputation of the right leg. A real lightning bolt from the clear sky for a pure-blood sports enthusiast. But "there is a solution to each problem" is the spirit with which Vromant has also faced this unexpected obstacle in his life.
As a child he tried all sports: judo, tennis, swimming, football... It's hard to think of a sport I've never tried. And, after being well informed, as a boy without hesitation he chose the Don Bosco school in Zwijnaarde, near Ghent, even if it was farther from his home than other alternatives, because many sports were practised there. He cycled the six kilometres every day to get there, in any weather. And all this sport and his commitment made him a medal collector.
Vromant does not profess to be religious, but sometimes he lights a few candles or says a prayer. Married, he has two children who he would surely send to a Salesian school if it were not so far from where he lives; and in education he states that he believes it is important to set a good example.
Today he says he has a good memory of the Don Bosco school, especially of the mandatory sports hour during the lunch break, a thorn in the side for some, but a real gift for him. He spent hours and days on football fields and athletics tracks. He loved extracurricular activities: cycling trips, walks during the holidays, cycling pilgrimage from Zwijnaarde to Turin and so on. Also because they were an opportunity to get to know the teachers in a different way. Among them were the Salesians, the ones you saw in the courtyard and knew you could always go looking for them, like an ear that listened. His best friends today date back to those times, he reports.
At the age of 22 he dedicated himself to triathlon. His dream was to become one of the so-called “Iron Men”. In 2012, at the age of 28, he prepared for the marathon, but was diagnosed with leg cancer. This is how the healthcare process began, which included chemotherapy, amputation and the rehabilitation process. But even then his passion for sport did not stop.
During rehabilitation, he came into contact with a person who accompanied the runners with prostheses. He started running for pleasure. The timing was perfect: he could play sports again, rebuild a social life, see friends, talk about his problems... But it soon became clear that he wasn't very good at running with a prosthesis. In the meantime, however, he had also resumed cycling.
He was Belgian, European and World Paracycling Champion. The Gold Medal at the Tokyo Olympics passed by because the jury disqualified him, believing that he was not sufficiently on the saddle. Yet, he had shattered his own record. Thus, to add further success to those achieved so far, he prepared for the Paris Olympics, in search of medals: not for revenge on anyone, but to give his best. And so far he has already achieved two splendid achievements.
Source : Don Bosco Aujourd'hui
