‘I can dedicate myself to sport because of the Athlete Grant,’ says Brazilian paralympic medalist Lara Lima

Brasil de Fato

The Paris 2024 Paralympics ended with significant results for Brazil. Among the world’s top five medalist countries, Brazil said goodbye to the games, confirming that it is a powerhouse and breaking records.

One of these medals was even more special. On Wednesday (4), Lara Lima, from the state of Minas Gerais, won bronze in para powerlifting. It was Brazil’s 50th medal in the competition. By the end of the Games, the country had reached the podium 89 times, the largest number in history.

The parathlete talked to Brasil de Fato’s Bem Viver TV show. In the interview, she spoke about the importance of valuing Paralympic sports in the results, but pointed out that there is still a long way to go to overcome prejudice and lack of information.

“Ableism emerges from a lack of knowledge. Many people don’t know that the Paralympics exists, although nowadays, this has changed a lot thanks to the visibility we are gradually gaining. But we are still in the shadows compared to the Olympic Games. How will people know if no one is talking about it?” she asks.

Lara Lima also stressed the importance of incentives and public investment in parathletes’ journey to podiums. “The Athlete Grant is my income and I can say I only work as an athlete. I can keep my life totally focused on sports thanks to the program.”

At the Tokyo Paralympics, which took place a year late because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lara Lima finished in seventh place. As with athletes and parathletes all over the world, the period represented a challenge for Brazilians.

The powerlifting athlete’s reflections on preparing for the Paris Games also include the power and resilience of Paralympic sports in Brazil.

“I went to the Paralympics thinking, ‘Nothing is going to shake me. I’ve been through much worse and whatever happens, I’ll know how to control it and I won’t let anything let me down.’ Tokyo was extremely important for me to get to where I am now.”