Brazil makes history, wins Paralympic Athletics Worlds
Brazilian Paralympic sport experienced a historic day on Sunday (Oct. 5), finishing at the top of the World Athletics Championships medal table for the first time. The green-and-yellow campaign in New Delhi, India, ended with 44 podium finishes: 15 golds (two more than China, which came second), 20 silvers, and nine bronzes, including three golds won on Sunday.
To put Brazil’s achievement in perspective, this is only the second time in 12 years that China has not topped the World Para Athletics Championships medal table. The last time was when Russia finished first in Lyon, France.
Sunday started on a high note for Brazil thanks to Zileide Cassiano, who won gold in the T20 (intellectual disability) long jump. She repeated her victory from the World Championships in Kobe, Japan, reclaiming her position as the star of the event by beating Karolina Kucharczyk, the Paris Paralympics gold medalist - who this time took bronze.
Brazil’s second podium finish of the day came with a historic achievement by Jerusa Geber. By winning the T11 200 meters (totally blind), the sprinter earned her 13th World Championships medal, becoming the most decorated Brazilian in the event and surpassing another icon of the country’s Paralympic athletics, Terezinha Guilhermina. In the same race, Thalita Simplício took bronze.
“Two goals successfully achieved: four consecutive titles in the 100 meters and leaving here as the athlete with the most medals at the World Championships. I arrived and I’m leaving without pain or injury. Of course I want to go [to the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles]. I want my fifth title, then my sixth at the World Championships - I want it all. As long as I can keep going, I want to go,” said Jerusa, 43, in a statement to the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB).
In the 200 meters T2 class (low vision), World Championships rookie Clara Daniele initially won silver. However, the CPB filed a protest against Venezuela’s Alejandra Lopez, the event winner, claiming that her guide athlete had pulled her before crossing the finish line - a violation of the rules. The referees upheld Brazil’s protest, and Clara was awarded the gold, Brazil’s third of the day.
