André Payraud, born on July 12, 1948, in Passy, Haute-Savoie, nicknamed "the swimmer of the impossible," is a major figure in French whitewater swimming. Known by the nickname "Dédé the Carpet," he is renowned for his daring descents of large mountain rivers and for having helped popularize the sport starting in the 1980s. The ninth of 15 children, four of whom died before his birth, Dédé had a difficult childhood. When he was only six years old, his father, a railway work…
