The closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the beginning of August gave way to another of the most famous sports competitions: the Paralympic Games.
The first version of the Paralympic Games was held in 1960, when 400 athletes with impaired movement, hearing, vision or other types of impairments gathered in Rome to represent 23 countries. The Games have been held every four years since then, according to the International Paralympic Committee.
Since 1992, the competitions have also been held in the same cities and countries as the Olympics. Therefore, the 2024 Paralympic Games are being held in Paris.
Beyond classifying athletes within their disciplines, the Games also consider different skill levels. Athletes go through a classification process prior to the start of competition, during which they are allocated a sport class in accordance with the degree and nature of their eligible injuries. On the other hand, there is no single classification system for all sports, so they all have their own system.
The chart below shows the classifications that are presented in this article:
Latin American Reports will be rounding up the key triumphs for the region at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games each week. The information is compiled directly from the official website of the Paralympics.
Argentina
Argentina has participated in every edition of the Paralympic Games and in Paris 2024 the country is represented by 68 athletes.
On August 30, Antonella Ruiz Díaz won the country’s first medal at the Paralympics, taking home bronze in the F41 women’s shot put category with a distance of 9.58m, just under athletes from Tunisia and Uzbekistan.
Image source: Para Deportes via X.
Later in the day, Juan Samorano beat Uzbekistan 6-5 in the Taekwondo men’s 70kg K44 category, earning the country its second bronze medal at Paris 2024.
On August 31, athlete Inaki Basiloff won Argentina’s first Paralympics gold in the men’s 200m S7 swimming category, with a time of 2:29.81.
Other notable achievements by Argentine athletes include By Elizabeth Noriega fourth place in the women’s 200m S5 S5 Swimming Heats with a time of 3:21.72, and Araceli Rotela’s second place in the Women’s 200m T36 Athletics, Round 1- Heat 1 with a time of 30.08.
Brazil
At the recent Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Brazil achieved a Paralympic record, winning 22 gold medals. During this year’s edition, the country stands fourth in the medals table with 13 gold, eight silver and 19 bronze medals, just behind the United States and Great Britain.
Their first gold was secured on the first day of the competition, on August 29, by the athlete Gabriel Araújo in the S2 swimming category in men’s 100m backstroke. Araújo finished with a time of 1:53.67.
Image source: Paris2024 via X.
Similarly, the country’s first silver was won by Felipe Rordigues in the men’s 50m S10 with a time of 23.54 and the first bronze was secured by Gabriel Bandeira in the Men’s 100m Butterfly S14. At the end of the first day, Brazil had already secured one gold, one silver and one bronze.
On August 30, however, the medals kept coming. Ana Carolina Silva de Moura won the gold medal in the taekwondo discipline for women 65 kg K44, defeating France with a score of 13-7. Petrucio Ferreira also scored gold in the men’s T47 100m final with a time of 10.68 as he Ricardo Gomes de Mendoça in the men’s 100m T37 athletics final.
At Throw F32 Women’s Club, Giovanna Gonçalves won the bronze medal, as well as the 4×50 mixed team of the Freestyle Relay, Talisson Glock in the men’s 200 m S6 swimming category, and Silvana Fernandes in the taekwondo discipline for women 57 kg K44.
To round off day one, Brazil won gold again in the men’s 5000m T11 athletics final represented by Julius Agrippino.
the next day, Fernanda Yara da Silva scored gold in the women’s 400m T47 athletics final, and Clara Augusto joined her on the podium by winning the bronze medal in the same discipline.
Image source: Para Athletics via X.
Gabriel Araújo won gold again in the men’s 50m backstroke S2 swimming discipline and Wendell Belarmino scored a silver medal in the men’s S11 50m freestyle. Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago also won gold in the S12 women’s 100m backstroke.
Thalita Simplicio won silver in the women’s 400m T11 athletics final with a time of 57.21 and the bronze medal was scored by both Cicero Lins Noble in Men’s Javelin Throw F57 and Joeferson Marinho de Oliveira in the men’s 100m T12 athletics.
On September 1, Brazil secured four more bronze medals: Andre Rocha in the men’s discus throw final F52, the team in the medley swimming discipline 4×100 m Free Relay S14, Lydia Vieira in the women’s 150m medley S4 and Alexander Galgani in Mixed Air Rifle 10m Prone S2.
Chile
Chile is currently 63rd in the medals table, with three bronze medals all won by the same swimmer; Alberto Abarza.
Image source: Swim Chile.
Abarza secured his first bronze on August 29 in the men’s 100m backstroke S2 final, just behind Brazil’s Gabriel Araújo and Vladimir Danilenko, who competes in the Neutral Paralympic Committee delegation.
Known as the “rocket man”, he also scored a gold medal in the men’s S2 50m backstroke on 31 August.
Other notable performances include the Chilean mixed doubles team, which defeated Australia 3-0 on August 29, as well as the men’s doubles team, which defeated Spain 3-0 in the round of 16.
Colombia
Colombia is 18th in the medals table, with three gold, three silver and four bronze medals at Paris 2024.
The country’s first medal was secured by Nelson Crispinwho took silver in the S6 men’s 100m medley with a time of 2:38.08, just ahead of Brazil Talisson Glock. on the same day, Erica Castano won gold in the F55 women’s discus final.
Similarly, Jose Lemos won the gold medal in the Men’s F38 Javelin Throwing discipline, with a distance of 63.81 meters. Luis Fernando Lucumi finished fifth in the same discipline with a distance of 50.32 meters.
Image Source: Maria Paula Rodríguez via X.
The first bronze was won by Carlos Serrano in the S7 men’s 100m swimming discipline, followed by Leidy girlis in the women’s Boccia BC4 discipline.
Karen Palomeque also scored gold in the T38 women’s 100m with a time of 12.26, and Darian Jimenez won bronze in the same discipline with a time of 12.53. Juan Alejandro Campas Sánchez also won bronze in the men’s 100m T38 final.
Image Source: Maria Paula Rodríguez via X.
Cuba
Image source: Cuban Embassy in the US via X.
Ranked 28th on the medal table, Cuba currently has two gold medals and one silver. The first, silver, was won by Yamel Luis Vives in the T44 men’s 100m athletics event on September 1.
Other notable performances from the first week of the Paralympics include Raciel GonzalezSixth place in the men’s T47 100m final with a time of 10.93, and Alexander ReynaFourth place in men’s 10m air pistol SH1 discipline.
Ecuador
Currently placed 65th in the medal table with one bronze medal, Ecuador’s victory came on September 1 due to the athlete Poleth Mendes in the F20 women’s athletics shooting discipline.
Other notable performances include Sixto MoretaFourth place in men’s T13 5000m final and Jimmy CaicedoFifth place in men’s 5000m T11 final.
Mexico
Ranked 34th in the medals table, Mexico has won one gold, three silver and five bronze.
The first silver was won by Haidee Aceves in the S2 women’s 100m backstroke final on 29 August. of the country Fabiola Ramirez came sixth in the same discipline.
Mexico also scored the bronze medal Rosa Maria Guerrero in the F55 women’s discus final on August 30, and represented by Angel of Jesus Camacho in the men’s 100 m freestyle S4 discipline.
Image source: Mexico at Paris 2024 via X.
Juan Garcia also secured another bronze medal against Japan in the men’s 70kg K44 Taekwondo discipline, with a final score of 5-3.
On August 31, Mexico continued to secure Paralympic medals. Luis Najera won the silver medal in Taekwondo K44 for men 80 kg, as well as Haidee Aceves in the women’s 50m backstroke S2 final.
Camacho won a second medal by scoring bronze in the men’s S4 150m medley as he Osiris Machado in the F64 women’s discus throw, both on September 1.
PERU
Peru is currently ranked 46th in the medals table with one gold medal, won by Angelica Espinoza on August 29 in the women’s 47 kg K44 taekwondo discipline against Uzbekistan.
Image source: Italo Villafuerte via X.
Other notable performances include Rodrigo SantillanThird place in 100m backstroke S2 with a time of 2:16.35. Rosbil GuillénSixth place replacement in the T11 men’s 5000m athletics final, and Neri Roxana Mamani’Third place in T11 women’s 1500m, round 1.
Venezuela
Image Source: Jose Grasso via X.
Venezuela’s first medal at Paris 2024 was won by Lisbeli Verawho scored a silver medal in the women’s 400m T47 final on 31 August.
On September 1, Anderson Santos won the country’s first gold medal of this year’s Paralympics in the T11 men’s 400m final, clocking 50.58. He had previously placed second in the semi-finals with a time of 51.71.
Other notable performances include Roberto QuijadaCzech Republic’s victory in the Round of 32 Men’s Table Tennis Grade 3 match, as well as Irene SuarezFourth place in the first round of the women’s 1500m T11 athletics on the same day.
Other countries
As the competition continues for another week, the Latin American delegations have received high praise.
of Costa Rica Sherman Guity scored first in the first round of the men’s 100m T64 athletics event with a time of 10.72 on 1 September and went on to compete in the final on 2 September. Similarly, in El Salvador Herbert Aceituno will compete in the men’s PWL 59kg powerlifting final on September 5.
