Swimmer Gabriel Araújo wins Brazil’s first Paralympic gold
Brazil’s first gold medal at the Paris Paralympic Games was not long in coming. On Thursday (Aug. 29), the opening day of competitions in France, Minas Gerais swimmer Gabriel Araújo—or Gabrielzinho—won the 100m backstroke in the S2 class (great physical and motor impairment) with 1min53s67. This is the fourth Paralympic medal in the career of the 22-year-old athlete, who won two golds and a silver—in the same event—in Tokyo.
Gabrielzinho, the reigning world champion in the 100m backstroke, was untroubled throughout the race, finishing almost eight seconds ahead of the silver medalist, Russia’s Vladimir Danilenko, who competed under a neutral flag. Third place went to Chile’s Alberto Abarza Diaz.
He still has four more events to swim in Paris: the 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle in the S2 class, as well as the 50m freestyle and 150m medley in S3, a class with athletes with a lower degree of impairment than S2.
Gabrielzinho was born with phocomelia, a congenital disease that hinders the normal formation of arms and legs.
