by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Contributor:
With the conclusion of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 on September 8, 2024, it’s time to highlight the achievements of athletes with vision loss. As reported by the International Paralympic Committee, the gold medal for blind football (soccer) was won by France, with Argentina taking silver and Brazil bronze. This year the U.S. did not compete in this sport; their inaugural team will debut in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. In Women’s Goalball, Turkey won over Israel to keep their championship, with Sevda Altunoluk becoming the first in women’s goalball history to win three gold medals. In Men’s Goalball, Japan, who had beaten the U.S. in the quarterfinals, as noted by the USABA, won the gold in an overtime game against Ukraine. Japan player Koji Miyajiki, quoted by Kyodo News, stated “It almost didn’t feel real until I felt this weight.” In Para-Judo, Greek bronze medalist Theodora Paschalidou is notable for having competed with the help of her blind coach, Theoklitos Papachristos, becoming the first such duo to win a medal in this sport. As Papachristos told Olympics.com, “Dora is a very charismatic athlete and whatever I knew so far in all these years I have transferred it to Dora, and I feel like this medal is also mine.” Paschalidou responded, “It is first his and then mine. He’s got great experience on the tatami. I admire him as an athlete and as a person. He makes me willing to pay attention and listen to him so we can fulfil our goal…I think that together we have the perfect cooperation and whatever we accomplish, we accomplish it together.” Meanwhile, a controversy ensued when Spain’s Elena Congost, who had finished third in the Women’s Marathon T12, was disqualified after she let go of her tether while running, allegedly to help her guide, Mia Carol, who had developed a cramp. As she told the Spanish news agency Marca: “It’s not for cheating, it’s not for dragging down an athlete. I am left with nothing. I can’t find any explanation for it and it seems so unfair and so surreal, really. I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal. It was a reflex act of any human, to hold on to a person who is falling next to you.” Fatima El Idrissi and Meryem En-Nourhi, both of Morocco, respectively won gold and silver. The story was covered by People as well as The New York Times, and The Independent, among others.
