There was joy and sadness for Charl du Toit when he broke the world record in his T37 100m heat on Saturday. He bested his own time by one hundredth of a second, and then said that it was the memory of late uncle.
His uncle Johan had been shot in a house robbery three months ago and had been in ICU. Johan passed away just before Du Toit left for Rio. He has had little time to grieve, and yesterday celebrated his uncle’s life in the best way he knew.
“I was completely surprised by the world record,” said Du Toit. “I wasn’t expecting it at all. I dedicate this one to my uncle. He was shot and killed, and he died last week, so I dedicate this to him. I’m just overwhelmed and completely grateful to his amazing race.”
His world record was greeted with mixed cheers by the Brazilian crowd, who had just watched their countryman, Mateu Cardoso break the Paralympic record ahead of Fanie van der Merwe, who also qualified for today’s T37 100m final.
There was happiness for the Cape Verde islands on the tack on Saturday as they celebrated their first Paralympic medal. Gracelino Tavares Barbosa received a call from the Cape Verde president, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, after he had won bronze in the 400m T20 class for athletes with an intellectual impairment.
“It is an amazing feeling to know you have just won your country’s first Paralympic medal in history,” said Tavares Barbosa. Brazil’s Daniel Martins won gold and and Venezuela’s Luis Arturo Paiva silver.
“Every Para athlete dreams of competing against the world’s best at a huge event like the Paralympic Games. But winning a medal is just amazing and I still cannot believe it. Receiving a phone call from Cape Verde’s president himself was crazy, I thought they were playing a joke on me. This victory is for all my compatriots.”
“With this medal comes a big responsibility, because now I have to teach others and explain to them that with hard work they can also one day win a medal. Now that I am a Paralympic medallist, I plan to continue training but, above all, I want to raise awareness of Para sports in Cape Verde and Africa.”
Tavares Barbosa lives in Portugal, where he went to further his training, and is an electrician to pay the bills.
– Independent Media