Newspaper Correio | Athletics win 2 more gold medals with Petrúcio Ferreira and Ricardo Mendonça

Dia also qualified for Thalita Simplício in the 400m final

The first day of athletics at the Paris Paralympic Games was golden for Brazil from start to finish at the Stade de France this Friday (30). After the gold won in the morning by Júlio César Agripino, in the 5,000 meters, this afternoon Petrúcio Ferreira became a three-time champion in the 100m in the T47 class (upper leg disabilities) and Ricardo Mendonça also ensured the gold medal in the 100m in the T37 class (cerebral palsy). And there was also the classification of Thalita Simplício, the current world champion in the 400m, in the final of the same distance in the T11 (visually impaired) class. He won the qualifying heat with a time of 58s56. The sprinter from Rio Grande do Norte, who came second in the Tokyo Games, will fight for gold at 4:14pm (Brazilian time) this Saturday (31).

IS IT THREE??? Petrúcio Ferreira returns to Brazil with his third Paralympic medal in the 100m T47. He made history at #Paris2024. IT WAS AMAZING! ✨?#BrasilParalímpico #JogosParalímpicos pic.twitter.com/dt43kGinmB

— Brazilian Paralympic Committee (@BraParalimpico) August 30, 2024

Related news: Júlio César Agripino wins gold and breaks the world record in the 5 km race. Table tennis: Brazil reach the semi-finals in doubles and win 2nd bronze in Paris. The Ministry of Sports presents a Guide to the Paris Paralympic Games. Born in São José from Brejo da Cruz, in the hinterlands of Pernambuco, Petrúcio Ferreira raced to victory in the 100m until he crossed the finish line with a time of 10s68, leaving behind the North’s Best Korban America, silver medalist and Aymane El Haddaoui Morocco, with bronze – both finished the race equal at 10.75.

In addition to the three Paralympic golds in the 100m – the one obtained today and those from Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 – Petrúcio Ferreira also collects three other medals: bronze in the 400m T47 class (Tokyo) and silver in the same event at Rio 2026, as well as silver in the 4 x 100m relay also at Rio 2016.

“I am very grateful for all this, thanks to anyone who believes in my work. This year I’ve been suffering a lot, an internal fight with my body, a lot of injuries, a lot of hurt, a lot of demands, I put a lot of pressure on myself. This is fun for me”, Petrúcio revealed after the victory, in a statement to the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB).

The 27-year-old man from Paraíba lost part of his left arm after suffering an accident with a lawnmower. Talented for his agility with the ball in futsal, he caught the attention of a coach and switched to athletics.

? Ricardo Mendonca wins the 100m in the T37 class and secures his gold medal in the #ParalympicGames #Paris2024 ??#BrasilParalimpico pic.twitter.com/b6Zq15JAno

— Brazilian Paralympic Committee (@BraParalimpico) August 30, 2024

The afternoon was also a celebration for the sprinter Ricardo Medonça. Born in Natividade (RJ), the current world champion in the 100m T37, got off to a poor start, but made a recovery effort to win with a time of 11s07, 19 hundredths ahead of Indonesia’s Saptoyogo Purnomo (1s26), silver medalist , and Andrei Vdovin (11s41) – a neutral Paralympic athlete – completed the podium with bronze.

“I did what I had to do. I left having to run as fast as possible, as my coach asked. In the final, there is no beautiful race, there is a fast race. And that one was fast enough to bring home the gold. I improved my time, I wanted it. It wasn’t much faster than in the semi-final, but I managed to get it down and I’m very satisfied. It’s not the end yet. There is still the 200m, my favorite race. The 100m, it was amazing, I couldn’t wait any longer”, celebrated Ricardo Mendonça, born in Natividade (RJ), who won bronze at the Tokyo Games in the 200m T37 event.

The athletics events will last until September 8, which is the last day of the Paralympic Games. The sport is the one that has won the most medals for Brazil in the history of the Games. The total number of podiums rose with this Friday’s successes (30) – three gold and one bronze – to 174 (51 gold, 70 silver and 53 bronze).