A remarkable event took place on Sunday night at the Paralympics track. Italian athlete Alessandro Ossola proposed to his significant other after the 100m T63 heats had concluded. “This is madness,” was the response from Arianna, now his fiancée, as she affirmed her acceptance amidst an audience of 40,000. Her unwavering belief and support throughout challenging times was not unnoticed by Ossola, who confessed, “at times, she put more faith in me than I did in myself”.
The idea to propose at this event crossed his mind a few weeks prior. “This illustrates a side of athletes that remains hidden from view,” he said. Now 36, he expressed gratitude to all his supporters, including his staff, family, and especially his girlfriend, who constantly stands by his side.
Five years ago, a tragic motorbike accident took away Ossola’s wife and left severe damage to his left leg. He found solace and a route out from the darkness through engagement in sports. Currently employed by Icon PLC, a company of Irish origin, he is located in Milan; establishing the first inclusive padel circuit and a not-for-profit organisation called Bionic People, dedicated to altering distorted perceptions about disabilities.
Despite his setback in this event, finishing fifth in his heat, losing a chance to qualify for the final with a timing of 12.46, in many other aspects, Ossola considers himself victorious.
In a separate incident, Giacomo Perini, a para-rower from Italy, had his bronze medal for PR1 Men’s single sculls revoked due to the use of “communication equipment”. According to World Rowing’s statement, he was found utilising it during competition, resulting in his disqualification and last-place ranking. Even an appeal from the Italian rowing federation was dismissed by World Rowing. Gold Medallist Ben Pritchard revealed that he noticed Perini with his mobile phone on the boat, despite athletes usually rowing with their backs to the finish line.
Pritchard remarked on a boater’s behaviour, revealing that he had his phone switched on, which is an activity not permitted during the event. Consequently, the medal was awarded to Australian contestant, Erik Horrie, followed by the silver going to Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi.
Elsewhere, Sheetal Devi, an Indian paralympic archer aged just 17, shot to social media fame when a video of her scoring a bulls-eye against her competitor, Mariana Zuniga of Chile, had 48 million views. Despite being born without arms and having to launch the arrows using her leg, shoulder and jaw strength, Devi participated admirably, barely losing to Zuniga in a tense 138-137 finish.
Renowned sitting volleyball player and the second tallest man in the world, Morteza Mehrzad, unfortunately had to sleep on the floor as his specialised bed was not delivered on time to the Paralympics village in Paris. The Iranian athlete, who is 8ft 1in tall, was born with a rare medical condition known as acromegaly, which is responsible for his excessive growth.
Despite the inconvenience, Hadi Rezaei, Mehrzad’s coach, still has high hopes for his athlete. Rezaei mentioned to Olympics.com, “Regardless of the condition he is in, his determination is unwavering. Morteza rightfully proves to be our best player.” Mehrzad is a two-time Paralympic champion and is aiming for his third gold medal in Paris. Thus far, Iran has scored their first victory against Brazil and is set to compete against Germany come Tuesday.
“This morning, I found myself utterly engaged. I plan on revisiting the Seine, to enjoy a swim just like our mayor, Anne Hidalgo did,” announced French PTS2 Para Triathlon gold medallist, Jules Ribstein. Despite raised concerns about pollution in the Seine river in Paris which led to the rescheduling of the Para Triathlon on Sunday, Ribstein confirmed his satisfaction with the water quality.
In terms of accolades, Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal bagged the 234th medal for Ireland in the history of the Paralympics. This places Ireland 29th on the overall medal leaderboard. Meanwhile, the USA have secured an impressive total of 2,618 medals.