French police recover paralympian's stolen arm

A French long jumper planning to take part in the London Paralympics has had his prosthetic arm returned to him by police, after it was stolen on Saturday.

Reuters

Arnaud Assoumani, who took gold in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing and set a new world record with a jump of 7.23 metres, was set upon on Saturday in the Paris suburb of Bobigny by two men who sprayed him with tear gas.

They stole his scooter, in which he had placed his prosthetic arm, without which he might not have been able to take part in the games in August and September, said a statement from the local authorities.

But police in a nearby district arrested a man on Sunday who admitted to being one of the thieves and led officers to a bush where he had discarded the arm, the statement said.

The artificial limb was undamaged.

Earlier this year, Assoumani launched a competition for artists to come up with a design that he will sport on the false arm he will use during the Paralympics, which start in London on 29 August.