A 17-member expedition team from France has reached the 5,895-metre summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, becoming the first group in the world to bring three disabled athletes to the top of Africa's highest peak.
The group, known as Ensemble aux Sommets 2, completed the ascent on Wednesday morning after six days of grueling climbing across the Tanzanian mountain. Among the team members were three individuals with disabilities and three minors who established multiple global and national records during the trek.
Gilda Fray Muti, a 15-year-old team member who was unable to walk two years ago, became the first person in the world with Piezo 2 syndrome to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. Piezo 2 syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects tactile sensation and proprioception, the body's natural awareness of its position and movement in space.
World records on Africa's highest peak
The expedition also saw 15-year-old Clément Talbot become the youngest hemiplegic person in the world to reach the 5,895-metre peak independently. Hemiplegia is a neurological condition that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the body.
Fellow team member Thomas Varvenne, 39, who also has hemiplegia, completed the ascent through extraordinary perseverance. Meanwhile, nine-year-old Aaron Genais set a national record by becoming the youngest French person to scale Mount Kilimanjaro.
The journey marked the first time in history that three disabled individuals reached such an altitude within a single expedition. It was also the first time that three minors completed the climb together in the same group.
Six days of trek and final summit push
Organised around team leader Mickaël Genais, the 17-person group departed from Tarbes, a town in the Hautes-Pyrénées region of southwestern France, on Friday. Over the first four days, the group covered 30 kilometres on foot and climbed more than 2,800 metres in elevation to reach Kibo Hut, a high-altitude mountain camp situated near the summit trail.
Throughout the initial stage, team members took turns carrying Gilda Fray Muti in a specially designed all-terrain wheelchair. Following a brief rest at Kibo Hut on Tuesday evening, the troupe launched their final push up the remaining 1,100 metres of positive elevation gain.
Battling temperatures near minus 15 degrees Celsius, the team endured eight hours of pushing, intense effort, and mutual assistance in freezing conditions before standing atop the summit on Wednesday morning.
Return to France
The team is currently concluding its stay in Tanzania following the successful climb. The expedition members are scheduled to land at Toulouse Airport in southwestern France on Monday, August 31, at 11:30 am.
Supporters and the public can follow video updates of the team's journey on the official social media accounts of Ensemble aux Sommets 2.
