Table tennis player Bruna Alexandre is set to become the first Brazilian to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics after she was selected for her country’s Olympic team for Paris 2024.
The 29-year-old sustained a blood clot when she was just a few months old which resulted in her losing her right arm, but she started playing table tennis aged seven.
She won two bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and singles silver and team bronze at Tokyo 2020.
She follows fellow table tennis players Natalya Partyka of Poland and Australia’s Melissa Tapper who have also competed at both Games.
Partyka first appeared in Beijing in 2008 and followed that up at London 2012 before being joined by Tapper in Rio and Tokyo.
Croatian Sandra Paovic competed at the 2008 Olympics before suffering a spinal injury in a car accident which left her with restricted movement, but she returned to table tennis and won gold at the 2016 Paralympics.
Others to have featured at the Olympics and Paralympics include South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius and swimmer Natalie du Toit.
“I’m very happy for this opportunity to represent all Brazilians with disabilities at the Olympic Games and to show that I can play on equal terms with any athlete,” said Alexandre, who uses other sports like skateboarding and futsal in training to help with her balance and co-ordination.
“I have a dream of becoming a Paralympic champion, and playing against athletes without disabilities makes me stronger in my pursuit of this goal.”
The Olympic table tennis events take place from 27 July-10 August in Paris before the Paralympics start on 28 August.
