Brazil's Bruna Alexandre to compete at both Paris Olympics and Paralympics Games

Bruna Alexandre was only a few months old when she lost her right arm due to a blood clot. Seven years later, she embraced the sport of table tennis and garnered attention from Brazil's Paralympic team. In the Rio Paralympics 2016, she won a bronze medal and improved her record in 2021, by bagging a silver at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Now, she is set to create history. Bruna Alexandre is going to be the third Paralympic athlete and the first Brazilian in history who will compete at the Olympics as well. Previously, only two athletes have achieved such a feat - South African runner Oscar Pistorius and Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka.

Bruna Alexandre, who won a Para Table Tennis gold medal at the Montenegro Open last month, received a late phone call on Sunday night from her coach. She initially thought there was some problem, but when her mentor informed that she had been selected to take part in the Paris Olympics 2024, her face lightened up.

She said:

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"It wasn't until the Table Tennis Confederation posted it on Instagram that I actually believed it. The legacy I want to leave behind is that people can do anything — whether you are missing an arm or a leg, it doesn't matter."

Notably, the 29-year-old table tennis player will have one of the longest stays at the Olympics Village, as now she will arrive on July 15 to participate in the Olympics and then stay until September 8 for the Paralympics Games, which are slated to commence on August 28.

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Some notable accolades of Bruna Alexandre

Bruna Alexandre has won two gold medals in her career. The first one came when her team won the 2017 Pan American Championships, held in Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. Meanwhile, her solo accolade came the same year too, but at the World Championships held in Bratislava, Slovakia.

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