2024-09-08 08:29:33
20 are the people who should enter the golden book of world sports. They participate both in the Olympics with the healthy and in the Paralympics.
Before there were disabled games, there were real phenomena. With a wooden leg (lost by being run over by a train) the American George Eiser won 6 medals – 3 gold, 2 silver and bronze, at the Olympics in 1904. With his left leg amputated, the Hungarian Oliver Halashi was a two-time Olympic champion in water polo (1932 and 1936) and also had silver (1928) plus a European title in the 1500m freestyle. His compatriot Karoli Takac lost his right arm after a grenade explosion, learned to shoot with his left and was a gold medalist in 1948. The deaf Ildiko Reito has 7 awards – two gold, three silver and two bronze medals, in fencing.
Officially, the first to participate in the Olympics and Paralympics is the New Zealander Neroli Fairhall in archery. She is paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. He participated in three Paralympics and the Los Angeles ’84 games with the healthy. The Hungarian Pal Sekeresh takes team bronze in the rapier from Seoul, gets into a bus accident, after which he is paralyzed. He is the only one in history to take a medal from the Paralympics as well – and that’s a total of six (3 gold and 3 bronze).
Sonia Watenburg from Belgium is a competitor in sports shooting, and after the Paralympics in Seoul, she moves to the healthy in Barcelona. The Italian Paola Fortunato she is confined to a wheelchair due to polio, but she won 8 medals, including 5 gold, at the Paralympics in archery, and in Atlanta she also participated with the able-bodied.
The American Marta Runyan is a unique case. She is blind, but still has preserved sight. She is among the best in long distance running. He won 5 titles and silver from the Paralympics, in Sydney he finished eighth in the 1500 meters, and in Athens he was a finalist at the same distance.
The Italian Oracio Faggione becomes Olympic short track champion at the relay in Lillehammer. In 1997, he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. And moved into wheelchair ice hockey and participated in two Paralympics.
The one born without a right arm Natalia Partika (Poland) participates equally with the healthy in major competitions. Thus, in his career there are 4 Olympics and 6 Paralympics.
The South African Nathalie de Truth lost her leg after being swept by a car while riding her scooter to school aged 14. After making his debut at the Paralympics in Athens, he did a double in Beijing – first against the healthy, and then at the Para Games. The Canadian Misty Thomas is a national basketball player at the Los Angeles Games. Then he suffered a severe knee injury and started wheelchair basketball in Beijing.
The most scandalous case of recent years was the South African Oscar Pistoriuswho was born without fibulae in both legs. And they were amputated when he was 11. He won everything in the para-athletes, earning the nickname Blade Runner. Has 6 titles, silver and bronze from Para Games. After that, he led long legal disputes with the world federation of athletics, won the cases and started in London with the healthy. He then killed his fiancee and was recently released from prison.
The Italian gulet flatterer Assunta Lenantewho is visually impaired, first competed in the healthy in Beijing, and then took two titles and two silver medals at the Paralympics. The jockey Peppa the Pooh from Austria started in the all-around in Athens, then he was paralyzed in an accident and at the Paralympics he had 2 gold, 2 silver and a bronze medal.
Ilke Viluda from Germany is probably the biggest name on the list. She was an Olympic discus champion from Atlanta, then got sepsis and found herself without her right leg in 2011. And a year later she was in London at the Paralympics.
After her, they enter the list Zahra Nemati from Iran (archery), Melissa Tupper from Australia (table tennis), Sandra Paovic from Croatia (table tennis), Michal Feinblat of Israel (judo and para-rowing) and Kate O’Brien of Canada (Cycling).
This summer the Brazilian Bruna Košta Alexandra played table tennis at the Olympics and then at the Para Games, for the second time since Rio. And the Frenchman Damien Lothull do something amazing. After 28 years, he returned to archery at the Paralympics. And in Atlanta he was a national with the healthy, then he had an accident.