Portugal returned from the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris with seven medals, equalling the country’s highest medal haul ever in Beijing in 2008. The two golds, one silver and four bronzes were particularly impressive given that the nation only sent twenty-seven athletes, the smallest delegation since 1988. Out of the travelling party, three athletes from the Algarve were present, all carrying high hopes of a medal.
After winning bronze in the 2023 World Championships, Carina Paim entered the 400m T20 race full of confidence but her time of 58.37 seconds saw her finish fourth in her heat and miss out on qualifying for the final. The Paris games was the Portimão-born athlete’s third Paralympics but, on reflection, she felt that the race did not go to plan. “Things don’t always go the way we want them to [but] I’ve also learnt that we have good days and bad days. Despite everything, I really want to thank the people who were there for me.”
In the VL2 kayaking, Norberto Mourão finished in fourth position in the 200m final with a time of 52.70 seconds. After winning his semi-final in convincing fashion, the athlete from Vila Real de Santo Antonio missed out on a medal by just 0.89 of a second. Mourão, who represents the Castores do Arade Kayak Club near Lagoa, has had a year to remember having become the European champion and finished fourth in the World Championships.
Finally, Portimão paracyclist Luis Costa has had a Paralympics that he will never forget. After finishing in the bronze medal position in the H5 time trial, he has been provisionally suspended after presenting an ‘an adverse analytical result’ in an anti-doping control test. The fifty-one-year-old also finished fourth in the road race but is now in danger of having his results expunged. Costa explained that he had gone ‘from heaven to hell’ in the space of a week.
Tomorrow contacted Luis, who we previously interviewed, for a statement regarding the latest situation. “My conscience is clear,” he said. “I won that medal thanks to my hard work. But I know that only a miracle can prevent me from being sanctioned and losing everything I’ve worked for over twelve years.”
The doping report stated that Costa ingested a diuretic called chlorthalidone, which can mask the use of performance-enhancing drugs. He has asked for a counter-analysis but is all too aware of the probable outcome. The ex-police officer, who is the oldest member of the Portuguese team, has been an extraordinary ambassador for the sport, having finished sixth in Tokyo 2020 and eighth in Rio 2016. We can only hope that Luis Costa’s miracle becomes a reality.
For the previous article, go to A Paralympian Prodigy tomorrowalgarve.com/dec-2021-a-paralympian-prodigy
