“Gift from God”, ripples, surpassing oneself… Four things to know about Gabriel dos Santos Araujo, the swimmer who walks on water

“I dominated the race, I killed the match!” Gabriel dos Santos Araujo has a way with words. And with spectacle too. His Olympic title in the 100m backstroke (S2 category) on Thursday 29 August impressed the crowd at the Paris La Défense Arena. Speaking to the Brazilian channel SporTV, he expressed his satisfaction with this “perfect race”.

This success may not be the first since the 22-year-old swimmer is still aiming for two gold medals at these Paralympic Games. His quest continues on Saturday morning, with the 50m backstroke, his series taking place at 10:50 a.m. Franceinfo presents this phenomenon of the pools.

1“Little Gabriel” received a “gift from God”

Gabriel dos Santos Araujo is nicknamed Gabrielzinho, “little Gabriel.” He suffers from phocomelia, a malformation caused by the arrest of the development of one or more limbs during pregnancy. The Brazilian has stumps at shoulder level, his legs are atrophied, but he can walk on his two feet. “I found out about it when I was five months pregnant. Of course, it was a shock, but then I started reading about it so I could be ready to take care of him as best I could.”his mother, Ineida Magda dos Santos, a retired teacher, told AFP.

It was thanks to her that he discovered the pools. “As we wanted him to have a normal childhood, we took him to a club where there was a swimming pool. At 4 or 5 years old, he already knew how to swim, even though he didn’t have arms. I think it’s a gift he received from God.”she marvels. Asked in the documentary With all my heart, Directed by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai, (available on france.tv until February 26), he says that his beginnings were not always like this final that he dominated.

“I almost drowned several times. And the more it happened, the more I wanted to learn to swim and surpass myself.”

Gabriel dos Santos Araujo, Brazilian Paralympic swimmer

in the documentary “A corps perdus”

Gabrielzinho discovered competition at the age of 13, in 2015, during a school tournament. “A teacher signed him up without consulting me and he won five medals. He hasn’t stopped since.”his mother relates.

2An amazing swimming technique

At 1.21 m tall, Gabrielzinho undulates in the water like a dolphin, with pelvic movements. A technique developed during long training sessions six times a week, from Monday to Saturday, in the swimming pool in Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeast of Brazil. “He uses what is called the ‘core’: the muscles of the abdomen and chest. And he is incredible, he is truly an example. Because every athlete must surpass themselves, but he has the handicap to overcome in addition, and it is very difficult to be an athlete in Brazil. He is an icon of sport,” admires a Brazilian disabled swimmer, Renata Guerra, on RFI.

Outside of the pelvis, he performs strength training exercises, particularly on the lower back, abdominals and pelvic floor. “Once I saw him in the water, I discovered his full potential. He has a champion mentality and he knows how to handle pressure.”his trainer, Fabio Pereira Antunes, told AFP.

3Impressive dexterity outside the pool

When he’s not swimming lengths, Gabrielzinho cultivates his popularity on Instagram, where he has more than 140,000 followers. But since he has no hands or arms, he uses his toes to navigate the screen of his phone. This is also how the Brazilian uses the controller of his video game console, his other great passion. To eat, he leans over to pick up food on his plate with his mouth, before sticking an electric toothbrush between his toes after meals.

“What impressed me most at first was his dexterity outside the pool.”

Fabio Pereira Antunes, coach of Gabriel dos Santos Araujo

to AFP

“He has great motor coordination and is very intelligent, which allows him to overcome all these obstacles on a daily basis.”adds the coach. “I can’t count the number of obstacles I have to overcome every day, but it makes me stronger.”develops the swimmer.

At the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, he also overcame the death of his grandfather, to whom he was very close, which occurred a few days before his entry into the competition. “I was in the final straight, it was a real blow, but afterwards I told myself that he had decided to follow the competition from up there, and that he was proud of me”says the athlete.

4In search of an Olympic treble

Coming out of the pool on Thursday, after his victory, he savoured this first title in Paris: “I worked hard for this and I did everything so that my silver medal [sur la même épreuve à Tokyo] turns into gold.” In Japan, he had won two gold medals and a silver. In Paris, he does not intend to stop there since he assured in July, during an official ceremony in Brasilia, in the presence of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, that he was going to “seek three gold medals”.

The first step of his goals has been achieved. He is still entered in four races: the 50m backstroke S2, the 150m medley SM3, the 200m freestyle S2 and finally the 50m freestyle S3. If he wins, he will surely treat the crowd to a victory dance, his trademark.