His nickname might mean “Little Gabriel,” but even though he is just 1.21m tall, Gabriel dos Santos Araujo is a giant of Paralympic swimming.
“My name is Gabrielzinho and I’m going for three gold medals at the Paris Paralympics,” the smiling 22-year-old Brazilian said, before receiving a kiss on the forehead from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an official ceremony last month in Brasilia.
Gabrielzinho’s objective at the Paralympics, which opens on Wednesday, is to upgrade from the two golds and one silver he won at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Photo: AFP
When he is not doing laps in the pool at Juiz de Fora, Brazil, Gabrielzinho is nurturing his popularity on Instagram, where he has more than 50,000 followers. As he has no hands or arms, he navigates his phone screen with his toes and uses this same technique to manipulate the joystick on his video game console — his other great passion.
To eat, he bends over to grab the food with his mouth, and then after meals he wedges an electric toothbrush between his toes to clean his teeth.
“I can’t count the number of obstacles I have to overcome every day, but it makes me stronger,” he said.
Photo: AFP
His coach Fabio Pereira Antunes said he is a marvel.
“The first thing that impressed me was his dexterity outside the pool. He has great motor coordination and is very intelligent, which enables him to overcome all these obstacles on a daily basis,” Antunes said. “Once I saw him in the water, I discovered all his potential. He has a champion’s mentality and knows how to handle pressure.”
Gabrielzinho has phocomelia, a condition that arrests the development of a baby’s limbs during pregnancy.
The Brazilian has shoulder stumps and his legs are atrophied, but he can walk on both feet.
“I found out in the fifth month of pregnancy. Obviously, it was a shock,” said his mother, Ineida Magda dos Santos, a retired teacher.
“I started reading up on the subject to be ready to take the best possible care of him,” she said.
“Because we wanted him to have a normal childhood, we took him to a club where there was a swimming pool. By the age of four or five, he could already swim, even though he had no arms. I think it was a gift from God,” she said.
To swim, Gabrielzinho undulates in the water like a dolphin, using pelvic movements. A technique developed during long training sessions six times a week, from Monday to Saturday.
In and out of the pool, he performs strength-building exercises, particularly for his lumbar, abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Gabrielzinho discovered competition at the age of 13, in 2015, at a school tournament.
“A teacher entered him without consulting me, and he won five medals. Since then, he hasn’t stopped,” his mother said.
At 19, he competed at the Tokyo Games, just after learning of the death of his grandfather, nicknamed “Pratinha” (Little Silver), to whom he was very close.
“I was training, I was already in the final phase, and this huge blow came,” Gabrielzinho said.
As if written in the sky, he began his medal haul in Tokyo with a silver in the 100m backstroke S2 — one of the categories for the most severely handicapped swimmers.
“I took it to mean that he was just watching me from the most special place, next to my grandmother, too,” Gabrielzinho said.
He then reached the top of the podium twice, in the 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle S2. Each time, he celebrated with a trademark dance.
The swimmer’s goal in Paris is to defend his two Paralympic titles, “turn his silver medal in the 100m backstroke into gold” and “dance a lot.”
And he would be hoping to exhibit a new celebratory dance to his fans this summer as Gabrielzinho shared that he has come up with a new routine which he is keeping top secret, for the moment.
His nickname might mean “Little Gabriel,” but even though he is just 1.21m tall, Gabriel dos Santos Araujo is a giant of Paralympic swimming. “My name is Gabrielzinho and I’m going for three gold medals at the Paris Paralympics,” the smiling 22-year-old Brazilian said, before receiving a kiss on the forehead from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an official ceremony last month in Brasilia. Gabrielzinho’s objective at the Paralympics, which opens on Wednesday, is to upgrade from the two golds and one silver he won at the Tokyo Games three years ago. When he is not doing
BACK ON COURT: After arriving on court in a brightly colored outfit with a giant bow, Osaka stunned Ostapenko to record her first top-10 win in four years Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday survived US Open first-round wobbles to stay on course for a semi-final showdown, while two-time champion Naomi Osaka made a tearful and colorful return to Flushing Meadows. World No. 1 Sinner fought back from a set and break down to defeat 140th-ranked Mackenzie McDonald in his first match since being embroiled in a doping test controversy. Italian Sinner battled to a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 win over American opponent McDonald at Arthur Ashe Stadium, racing away with 18 of the last 22 games. The 23-year-old was returning to action just a week after it was revealed
NOT THIS YEAR: Teams from Taiwan have won 17 titles at the tournament, second only to the US with 30. This year was the nation’s first championship game since 2009 Taiwan fell just short in Sunday’s championship game of the Little League World Series (LLWS) in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, losing 2-1 to Florida. Despite the defeat, it was still the best finish for Taiwan at the LLWS since Taoyuan’s Guishan Little League, the country’s representative again this year, lost the 2009 championship game 6-3 to California. Entering Howard J. Lamade Stadium on Sunday on a five-game winning streak in Williamsport, Guishan took an early lead in the opening frame on an RBI single by Hu Yen-chun. However, Guishan failed to extend the margin as its players struggled at the plate, tallying only five
HISTORIC GAME: Taiwan, which have claimed the title 17 times, more than any other international team, have a chance to win it for the first time since 1996 Taiwan could not get much going at the plate on Saturday. However, the way starter Lai Cheng-ci was pitching, it did not matter. Lai struck out 12 batters and allowed just three hits in 5-1/3 innings as Taiwan beat Venezuela 4-1 to advance to the Little League World Series (LLWS) championship. “He’s the ace pitcher for the team and he shows leadership,” manager Lee Cheng-ta said through an interpreter. “He’s calm and he works hard, so every time we’ve had an important game he’s always the one to be carrying the responsibility.” Taiwan also managed only three hits, but collected eight walks and