Athletics

History

Athletics has been part of the Paralympic programme since the first edition of the Games in Rome 1960.  However, Brazil only won its first medals in the sport in 1984 in New York (United States) and in Stoke Mandeville (England). That year, the country scooped up 6 gold medals, 12 silver and 3 bronze in athletics. In total, the country has won 109 medals at Paralympic Games, out of which 32 were gold, 47 silver and 30 bronze.

After managing to finish on the podium several times, Brazilian athletes began to shine brighter from 2004 at the Athens Paralympic Games, where they scooped up 16 medals in athletics. The 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro proved to be another milestone for national athletes. Indeed, the national delegation scooped 73 medals just in athletics, 25 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze, which meant they finished in first place overall.

The events

Paralympic athletics is practiced by sight or physically impaired athletes. There are track and field events for men, as well as the ladies. Competitors are split up into groups according to their disability grade and functional classification.

In track, athletes with higher visual impairment are led by guides, tied to them by a rope. Physically disabled athletes take part in the track events wearing prostheses or in wheelchairs.

Classification

F – Field: throwing and jumping events

F11 to F13: visually impaired
F20: mentally impaired
F31 to F38: athletes with cerebral palsy (31 to 34 for wheelchair users)
F40: little people
F41 to F46: amputees and others (les autres)
F51 to F58: wheelchair users (because of poliomyelitis, spinal cord injuries and amputations)

T – Track: track events (sprint, middle and long distance)
T11 to T13: visually impaired
T20: mentally impaired
T31 to T38: athletes with cerebral palsy (31 to 34 for wheelchair users)
T41 to T46: amputees and others (les autres)
T51 to T54: wheelchair users (because of poliomyelitis, spinal cord injuries and amputations)

Curiosities

The eyes of the visually impaired

The sighted guide has the role of acting as the eyes of visually impaired athletes. However, tied to each other by a rope, the guide should only give guidance in relation to which way to turn, without pulling the athlete, as that would disqualify them. Despite always training together and helping each other in the backstage of the competitions, the guide has only started climbing onto the podium and getting a medal since 2011, at the Guadalajara Pan American Games.

See also

Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB)
Site: www.cpb.org.br
E-mail: contato@cpb.org.br
International Paralympic Committee (IPC): www.paralympic.org