'Disability is not a disability''Brazilian one-arm table tennis player'Alexandr's new history...6th athlete to compete at the same time at the Olympic X Paralympics
Aug 06, 2024
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Alexander's first opponent on the day was South Korea. He is already a familiar player who faced South Korea in the round of 16 at the World Table Tennis Championships held in BEXCO, Busan, in February.
Aleksandr paired with Zelia Takahashi in the first doubles of the women's team round of 16 at the South Paris Arena at 3 a.m. on the 6th (Korea time). He faced Shin Yoo-bin (20, world No. 8) and Jeon Ji-hee (32, Mirae Asset Securities, world No. 14) with strong fighting spirit, but was completely defeated 0-3. Although he lost, he also showed his grit to chase the last three games to 9-8. The unique one-arm high serve, sharp backhand drive, and strong push technique were impressive.
Aleksandr, born in 1995, had his right arm amputated six months after he was born due to a vaccine-induced thrombosis. The high-altitude serve that uses the thumb of the left hand and the racket to throw the ball high and then swings the left arm at the drop point is strong and phenomenal. Aleksandr is competing in both the Olympics and Paralympics. 'All-round sports girl'Alexandr enjoyed a variety of sports, including soccer, skateboarding and cycling, not knowing what it was like to have a right arm, and at the age of seven, he followed his brother into table tennis. Since he declared his first Paralympic challenge at the age of 13, he has been writing the history of every event. She won the singles (10 weight) and team bronze medals at the 2014 Beijing World Para Table Tennis Championships, and the women's team gold medal at the 2017 Bratislava Games in Slovakia. She won the bronze medal in the women's singles and team events at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in her country, and the silver medal in the women's singles C10 (10 weight class) at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.
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A Brazilian ace who loves Korean dramas has a colorful tattoo engraved on her left arm. "It's all good to say that if you always give something, something will always come back." The dates and emblems of the Olympics and Paralympics are also written." Having played table tennis for more than 20 years since she was seven years old, it is her "life and happiness"." "I always enjoy playing table tennis, and I'm always happy when I practice or when I play."
sky4us@sportschosun.com
