Table tennis player Bruna Alexandre is poised to achieve a historic milestone as the first Brazilian athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics, having been chosen for her country’s Olympic team for Paris 2024.
At the age of seven, Alexandre began playing table tennis despite losing her right arm due to a blood clot when she was an infant.
Her impressive achievements include winning two bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and securing singles silver and team bronze at Tokyo 2020.
She follows in the footsteps of other notable table tennis players, such as Natalya Partyka from Poland and Melissa Tapper from Australia, who have also participated in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Partyka made her debut in Beijing in 2008 and continued to compete in London 2012, while Tapper joined her in Rio and Tokyo.
Croatian athlete Sandra Paovic initially competed in the 2008 Olympics before a car accident left her with limited mobility. However, she made a triumphant return to table tennis, winning gold at the 2016 Paralympics.
Other notable athletes who have graced both 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.