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The Paris Olympics 2024 are set to start on July 26 and will be followed by the Paralympic Games, which will commence on August 28. The Paralympic Games which originated as a rehabilitation program for injured World War II veterans, were brought into place in 1960 in Rome to give athletes with disabilities a chance to showcase their skills on the international stage.
However, there are a few athletes, notably only three, who have taken part in both the Olympics and Paralympics. Today, we will look at those three names.
#1 Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius is a former sprinter who has won four gold medals in the Paralympics. His initial achievements at the grand stage came in 2004, where he won bronze in the 100m category and gold in the 200m race. The sprinter, who got both his legs removed at the age of 11 used prosthetic ones to ply his trade. But there was no stopping him from creating history.
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Pistorius who went on to bag gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic games and participated in the Olympics in 2008, is often regarded as the fastest man on no legs. In 2013, he was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
#2 Natalia Partyka
Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka was born without a right forearm but that didn't stop her from chasing her dreams. She embraced the grand stage at only 11, in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and in the process became the youngest ever Paralympian.
Her journey was a challenge for sure, but she overcame every obstacle and won a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Paralympics (singles event). She repeated the heroics in the next Paralympics too, and also participated in the Olympics that year. Notably, Partyka has taken part in three Olympics - 2008, 2012 and 2016.
#3 Paola Fantato
Former archer Paola Fantato is one of the most decorated Paralympians. In her Paralympics career, she won a total of eight medals, which include five golds, one silver, and two bronzes. She participated in five successive Paralympics before retiring in 2004. Oh yes! She took part in the 1996 Summer Games as well.
