Brazil at the 2018 Winter Paralympics facts for kids
Brazil sent a small team to compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team had two men and one woman. Two athletes competed in para-Nordic skiing. One athlete competed in para-snowboarding. Aline Rocha made history as the first woman to join Brazil's Winter Paralympic team. This was Brazil's second time at the Winter Paralympics. They first competed in 2014 in Sochi.
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Team Brazil
Brazil sent three amazing athletes to Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Paralympics. Two were para-Nordic skiers, and one was a para-snowboarder.
The team members were:
- Andre Cintra (para-snowboarding)
- Cristian Ribera (para-Nordic skiing)
- Aline Rocha (para-Nordic skiing)
Aline Rocha was the first woman ever to be part of the Brazilian team at the Winter Paralympics. Brazil had hoped to send five athletes to South Korea. They secured two spots in December 2017, one for a man and one for a woman.
Brazil's Paralympic History
Brazil first competed at the Winter Paralympics in 2014. That year, the games were held in Sochi, Russia. André Cintra competed in snowboarding. Fernando Aranha competed in cross-country skiing.
Para-Nordic Skiing
Para-Nordic skiing includes sports like cross-country skiing. Athletes use special equipment depending on their disability.
Meet the Skiers
Aline Rocha
In 2017, when she was 26 years old, Aline Rocha did very well in important ski races. Her strong finishes meant she earned a spot at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. One of these races was a World Cup event in Canmore, Canada. She finished 15th in both the 800 meter sprint and the 5 kilometer race.
Rocha started cross-country skiing in 2016. She uses a special mono-ski to race. She was inspired to try skiing by another Brazilian Winter Paralympic athlete, Fernando Aranha. In December 2016, she traveled to Europe to improve her skiing. She raced in Sweden and Ukraine. Later, she competed in Germany and Canada.
When Rocha trains in Brazil, she uses a roller ski. This is like a normal racing wheelchair but for skiing practice. She uses ski poles with it. She also trains with a special wheelchair that looks like a snowboard with wheels. Her coach is Fernando Cassio Orso.
Before skiing, Rocha was a successful para-athletics athlete. She competed in wheelchair racing. She holds several national records in athletics. She also went to the 2016 Summer Paralympics. There, she finished ninth in the 1,500 meter T54 race. After the Winter Paralympics, Rocha plans to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. Her big goal is to win a medal in Tokyo. She even left university to focus on her training for 2020.
Rocha has a disability because of a car accident when she was 15. The accident caused damage to her spinal cord.
Cristian Ribera
Cristian Ribera was the last athlete chosen for the 2018 Winter Paralympics team. He was named on February 15, 2018.
Ribera races in a sit ski. He competed at a World Cup in Oberried, Germany, in January 2018. He finished 11th in the 7.5 km race. His time was 23 minutes and 54 seconds.
Ribera is an 18-year-old student. He is part of sports programs that help people with disabilities. He wants to become a professional athlete. He believes sports are very important for including people with disabilities in society. He started skiing when he was 15 years old.
Para-Snowboarding
Para-snowboarding is a thrilling sport where athletes race down snowy slopes.
Meet the Snowboarder
Andre Cintra competed in his second Winter Paralympics in 2018. At the 2014 Winter Paralympics, he finished twenty-eighth. His goal for 2018 was to do even better than he did in 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Brasil en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Pyeongchang 2018 para niños
