Over the course of the next week and a half, the 2024 Paralympics in Paris will take place.
Just over two weeks have passed since the Olympic Games concluded in the French capital, and thousands of paralympians are vying for medals in their individual sports.
The Paralympics started in 1960, whereas the Olympic Games were held for the first time in 1896. Additionally, a few of athletes have participated in both the Olympics and the Paralympics over the years; let’s have a look at some of the members of this elite group. Who has participated in the Paralympics and Olympics?
Fifteen athletes have participated in both the Olympics and Paralympics. For a variety of causes, some Olympians went on to compete in the Paralympics. In both competitions, one of the contestants has also taken home medals.
These athletes have competed in both Games throughout the years. Fairhall Neroli The Archer Neroli Fairhall Fairhall Neroli,
New Zealander
New Zealander, was the first athlete to compete in the Olympics despite being paraplegic. A gold medal from the Paralympics was hers. When she was barely 25 years old, she was involved in a motorbike accident that left her crippled from the waist down.
Neroli didn’t realise she had an archery talent until she was inspired by Eve Rimmer, a well-known challenged athlete from New Zealand.
Before being granted entry to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she participated in the 1980 Arnhem Paralympics in the archery competition. Later, the talented athlete participated in the Paralympics in Sydney in 2000 and Seoul in 1988.
Pal Szekeres
Pal Szekeres Wheelchair fencing competitor Pal Szekeres is a Hungarian.
Pal Szekeres, a fencer from Hungary, is presently the only individual to have medalled in both the Olympics and the Paralympics: six gold and bronze medals in the Paralympics and a bronze in the Olympics.
The athlete participated in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and took home a bronze in the team foil. But in 1991, while he was preparing for the subsequent Olympic Games, he was hurt in a bus accident.
Pal was forced to use a wheelchair as a result, but he didn’t allow that stop him from pursuing fencing.
He started preparing for the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona, where he participated and took home a gold medal.
Afterwards, he participated in the Paralympics in 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, and 2012 London.
Fantato Paola
Fantato Paola, an Olympian and Paralympian from Italy Paola Fantato participated in an archery competition
The first athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics in the same year was Paola Fantato.
This was the Italian archer’s 1996 Atlanta Games performance. She was disabled at the age of eight and survived polio. Since then, she’s been in a wheelchair. She took home eight medals from the Paralympics in her time competing. In addition to one silver and two bronze, there were five gold medals won. She competed in the Paralympic Games in 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 2000 Sydney, and 2004 Athens in addition to the 1996 Games.
Runyan, Marla Runner
The first athlete who is legally blind to compete in the Olympics was Marla Runyan.
The American athlete has competed in a variety of sports, such as cycling, long jump, 100, 200 and 400 metre races, and holds five gold medals from the Paralympic Games.
She participated in the Paralympics in 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta, as well as the Olympics in 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens.
Partyka Natalia
Natalia Partyka Natalia Partyka is a well-known Paralympian and Olympic table tennis player from Poland. Despite not having a right hand at birth, she became the youngest Paralympian in the history of the sport when she participated in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics at the age of 11. She has competed in the Paralympics before and has won five gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. In 2012, she made it to the final 32 of an Olympic event.
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius during the Paralympics These days, Pistorius is most famous for all the wrong reasons.Though Pistorius is undoubtedly the most well-known Olympian and Paralympian in history for his duelling skills, this isn’t what the South African is most recognised for these days. Due to fibular hemimelia, the 37-year-old had both of his legs amputated when he was just 11 months old.
He owns eight Paralympic medals, five of which are gold in the 100, 200, and 400 meters. In the end, Pistorius finished eighth and last in the 400-meter semifinals, making history as the first amputee runner to compete in an Olympic Games at London 2012.
He was then selected to carry the South African flag at the closing ceremony. However, Pistorius was convicted in 2015 of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he had shot to death in February 2013 at home. After completing slightly more than half of his sentence, Pistorius—who has maintained that he believed Steenkamp to be an intruder—was allowed to leave jail in January 2024.
Pepo Puch
Austrian Paralympic horse rider Pepo Puch, an Austrian Paralympic equestrian rider
An Austrian horseback rider named Pepo Puch made his Olympic debut in 2004. After suffering partial paraplegia from a bizarre riding accident, he decided to retrain to compete in dressage in the Paralympic Games.
Ilke Wyludda
Since then, he has competed in the Paralympics and won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in the London and Rio Olympics in 2012. Wyludda Ilke Ilke Wyludda of Germany competes in the Paralympic Women’s Discus Throw. Ilke Wyludda is a discus thrower from Germany. 
Ilke Wyludda, a German discus thrower, participated in the Olympic Games in 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney. Over the years, she holds one gold medal from the Olympics. But because of sepsis, she had to have her right leg amputated in January 2011. She persisted in competing in para-sport events, refusing to let it deter her. She competed in the 2012 Paralympics in London.
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