As the third day of athletics competitions at the Paris Paralympic Games drew to a close, Brazil received a remarkable moment: the country’s 400th medal in the history of the competition. André Rocha, 47, from São Paulo, won bronze in the discus throw in the F52 class, for athletes who compete seated (André is quadriplegic).
The first Paralympic medal of the two-time world champion’s career in this event (titles won in 2017 and 2024) rounded off the tally of Paralympic sport in Brazil, which now has 117 golds, 136 silvers and 147 bronzes since it began competing in the Games, in the 1972 edition, in Heidelberg, in what was then West Germany.
The 400th medal came with a bit of drama. In the discus throw, each athlete throws six times at a time and then waits to see what the others do to find out where they finish. André Rocha, who held the world record for the event before the Games began, with 23.80 meters, managed a best of 19.48 meters, with a ceiling of second place. Before him, Italian Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy had beaten André’s previous record four times, finishing with a best of 27.06 meters, setting the new record.
After André Rocha, there were still five more competitors, and Latvian Aigars Apinis soon surpassed him, recording 20.62 meters. The São Paulo native from Taubaté then waited for the throws of the other four opponents before finally celebrating the bronze.
André’s medal was the only one in Brazilian athletics this Sunday. In the other finals of the day, Matheus Lima finished eighth in the 100 meters T44, the same position as Ariosvaldo Silva in the 400 meters T53 final. In the morning, Samira Brito and Verônica Hipólito finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 200 meters T36 final.
At the end of the fourth day of competitions in Paris, Brazil – which did not win any gold medals this Sunday – was overtaken by the United States in the medal table, falling to fourth place, with eight gold, four silver and 15 bronze, totaling 27 podiums.
