São Tomé and Príncipe at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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São Tomé and Príncipe at the
2016 Summer Paralympics
IPC codeSTP
NPCSão Tomé and Príncipe National Paralympic Committee
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors1 in 1 sports
Flag bearer Alex Anjos
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Paralympics appearances (overview)

São Tomé and Príncipe competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics six times since the 1996 Games. The delegation consisted of a single short-distance runner Alex Anjos, who was chosen as São Tomé and Príncipe's flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Anjos was disqualified from the men's 100 metres (T47) for arriving late and failed to advance into the final of the men's 400 metres (T47) after failing to set a fast enough lap time.

Background[edit]

São Tomé and Príncipe first competed at the Olympic Games in the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta, United States. The country participated in the Olympics on six occasions prior to their debut at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September.[1][2] São Tomé and Príncipe intended to make its debut in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom,[3] but withdrew days before the multi-sport event commenced for unknown reasons.[4] The country was one of six to make its first appearance in the Paralympic Games: the others were Aruba, Congo, Malawi, Somalia and Togo.[5] The São Tomé and Príncipe National Paralympic Committee sent one short-distance sprinter to the Games, Alex Anjos, who was selected to be the country's flag bearer for the opening ceremony.[2]

Disability classifications[edit]

Main article: Disability sport classification

Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[6][7] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.[8]

Athletics[edit]

Main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
The Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, where Anjos competed in athletics events.

Alex Anjos was the first Santomean Paralympic athlete to compete at the quadrennial event and was 25 years old at the time of the Games.[9] He trained at Cape Verde's national stadium, Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, in the months prior to the Games because São Tomé and Príncipe did not have the necessary training facilities for sprinters like him at the time.[10] Anjos set himself the goal of winning a medal at the Rio Paralympics.[9] He was placed in the T47 category due to him having his left arm amputated.[2][10] Anjos was disqualified from the second heat of the men's 100 metres T47 on 10 September due of him arriving late at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange.[11] Six days later, he was drawn in the third heat of the men's 400 metres T47, finishing third out of five finishers, with a time of 50.94 seconds. Anjos was ahead of Hao Wang (52.29 seconds) of China but behind Cuba's Ernesto Blanco (49.68 seconds) in a heat led by Shane Hudson of Jamaica (49.53 seconds).[12] Overall, he placed eighth out of seventeen finishing para-athletes,[n 1] and was unable to advance into the final after finishing 0.52 seconds slower than the slowest sprinter who progressed into the final.[12]

Men's Track
Athlete Events Heat Final
Time Rank Time Rank
Alex Anjos 100 m T45-47 did not start did not advance[11]
400 m T45-47 50.94 3 did not advance[12]

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Three sprinters were disqualified from their respective heats.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Countries – São Tomé and Príncipe". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Branco, Carina (5 September 2016). "As esperanças afrolusófonas nos Jogos Paralímpicos" [Afrolus-speaking hopes at the Paralympics] (in Portuguese). Radio France Internationale. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  3. ^ "São Tomé e Príncipe leva um atleta aos jogos Paralímpicos" [Sao Tome and Principe takes an athlete to the Paralympic Games] (in Portuguese). Angola Press News Agency. 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Competidores dos PALOP têm escassa representação" [PALOP competitors have little representation]. Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). 2 September 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  5. ^ Herbert, Ian (6 September 2016). "Paralympics 2016: With more athletes and bigger TV deals, Rio can build on London's legacy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. ^ McGarry, Andrew (3 September 2008). "Paralympics categories explained". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  8. ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  9. ^ a b "The one and only: Village People" (PDF). Village Life. 7: 5. 12 September 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  10. ^ a b "ANDIM TV: Cabo Verde da asas a ambição do paraolimpico Santomense Alex dos Anjos" [ANDIM TV: Cape Verde of the wings the ambition of the paraolimpico Santomense Alex dos Anjos] (in Portuguese). Andim Santomé. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  11. ^ a b Melo, Thiago (12 September 2016). "Rio 2016: Angola ainda por conquistar medalha nesta Paralimpíada" [Rio 2016: Angola still to win medal in this Paralympics] (in Portuguese). Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d "Leichtathletik, 400 m, T45/T46/T47 – Amputation, Männer" [Athletics, 400 m, T45 / T46 / T47 – amputation, men; final] (in German). Sportschau. 17 September 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
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