Brazilian Athletics Shines at Paralympic Games with Four Medals

Runner Rayane Soares wins gold in the 400 meter T13 class, breaking a world record that stood since 1995.

Brazilian athletics won four medals on Saturday morning at the Paralympic Games in Paris, France. Rayane Soares, a runner from Maranhão, won gold in the 400 meter T13 class with a time of 53s55, breaking a world record that stood since 1995.

“I was very confident. I felt like that was my moment. I saw myself on the podium, I saw myself getting the gold medal. I asked God all the time to give me strength and courage, because I was trained,” declared the Brazilian after the race.

In the 200 meter T37 class, Brazil achieved a double, with silver from Ricardo Mendonça (22.71) from Rio de Janeiro and bronze from Christian Gabriel (22.74) from São Paulo. The gold went to Andrei Vdovin (22.69), who is on the team of neutral Paralympic athletes.

Another medal that was guaranteed on Saturday morning in athletics was the bronze of Paulo Henrique dos Reis from Mato Grosso do Sul in the T13 long jump class. The feat was achieved with a jump of 7.20 meters.

At the end of Friday afternoon, Brazil secured two silvers, in the shot class F57 with Thiago Paulino and with Zileide Cassiano in the long jump class T20.

With these results in athletics, Brazil has already reached 75 medals in Paris, achieving its best campaign in a Paralympic Games. Until then, the best Brazilian performances in the mega event had been achieved in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2020), opportunities where they reached the mark of 72 medals.