With just over 100 days to go until the start of the Paralympic Games in Paris, on August 28, AFP Sport analyzes the big names of the 17th edition:
– Matt Stutzman (USA), 41, for archery
Star of the Netflix documentary “Rising Phoenix” and known as “Armless Archer,” Stutzman will compete in his fourth Paralympics and hopes to go one better than the silver medal he won in London in 2012.
After a disappointing end to Tokyo 2020, he confessed that nervousness got the best of him.
The father of three was born without arms and put up for adoption, but went on to become one of the world’s most recognized Paralympic athletes, a professional archer, drag racer and motivational speaker.
In 2015, he set the Guinness World Record for the longest and most accurate shot by hitting a target from 310 yards.
– Markus Rehm (Germany), 35, para-athletics
Known as the “Blade Jumper”, Rehm jumped to gold at the Tokyo Paralympics and holds the world record for the long jump.
Regularly a better jumper than able-bodied competitors, he wanted to compete in the Tokyo Olympics but was excluded due to concerns that his prosthetic leg gave him an advantage.
He lost his right leg in a wakeboarding accident when he was 14 years old.
– ‘Bebe’ Vio (Italy), 27, fencing
Fencing icon Beatrice “Bebe” Vio has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, making her one of the biggest names in parasport.
After winning gold in Rio, the quadruple amputee, who lost her lower limbs after contracting meningitis at the age of 11, continued with another place on the podium in Tokyo.
The Italian sensation is known for his lightning speed and banshee screams on the track.
– Omara Durand (Cuba), 32, para-athletics
The Havana-based sprinter won gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympics. The visually impaired runner also holds world records in all three disciplines.
She established herself as a target for another clean victory and scored a hat-trick at the Para World Championships in Paris last year.
– Marcel Hug (Switzerland), 38, para-athletics
With 12 Paralympic medals, wheelchair racing champion Hug is already a hugely decorated competitor who appears on track to add to his achievement.
He won the world championships in Paris last year, taking the podium in the 800m, 1500m and 5000m. Fellow Swiss Catherine Debrunner and Manuela Schaer are also big favorites for the women’s events.
– Ryley Batt (Australia), 34, wheelchair rugby
One of the symbols of Australia’s dominance of wheelchair rugby, Batt also appeared in “Rising Phoenix”, which helped promote the Paralympics to a wider audience in 2020.
The two-time world champion became Paralympic champion in 2012 in London and in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
– Tokito Oda (Japan), 18 years old, wheelchair tennis
Oda became the youngest wheelchair tennis winner at Roland Garros last year, defeating British rival Alfie Hewett, aged just 17.
Since then, the current world number two has added Wimbledon and the Australian Open to his record-breaking CV. A big favorite to take the Paralympic title.
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