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    Nine African Paralympians to keep a close eye on in Paris

    By Ed Dove,

    9 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2cFbjg_0vCf1lkG00

    After winning 13 gold medals during the Olympic Games in Paris earlier this month, African athletes will again return to competition to represent the continent during the Paralympics.

    Ahead of the Games, which begin with an opening ceremony on August 28, ESPN highlights nine African athletes with fascinating backstories set to compete in Paris.

    Raoua Tlili - Tunisia

    Regardless of how things go for Tlili in Paris, her legacy is firmly established as Tunisia's 'throwing queen'.

    Competing in the F41 category, for athletes with a smaller stature, she is the greatest discus thrower and shot-putter the North African country has produced.

    Tlili currently holds the world records in both events, and has won six gold medals across the previous four Paralympic Games stretching back to Beijing 2008.

    Now 34, she'll be heavily fancied to clinch further medals in Paris, and has outlined her determination to continue inspiring women in her homeland during the Games.

    "The message I send to Tunisian women, Arab women, and women in general is to believe in their abilities and potential, and to try to turn weakness into strength, no matter the field they excel in," she said ahead of the competition.

    "Here is an example: 'Raoua, who is disabled, challenged the obstacles of disability and achieved good results.'"

    Lauritta Onye - Nigeria

    Sticking with the shot-putting theme, there won't be too many bigger characters than Onye competing in Paris, with the Nigerian also having featured in Nollywood films in her homeland.

    Standing at 4'1, Onye will compete in the F40 event - separate from Tlili - having benefited from a 2012 tweak in the rules that separated athletes of a small stature into separate classifications to preserve a level playing field.

    She will also have her eyes on gold, having won the event at the Rio de Janeiro Games eight years ago, where her astonishing eight-metre throw established a new world record.

    On that occasion, Onye charmed supporters with a cart-wheeling celebration, bubbling over with joy; will she get the opportunity to show off her dance moves again in Paris?

    Brahim Guendouz - Algeria

    Guendouz has already made history as a pioneer for para-canoeing in North Africa. Never before had an Algerian taken a medal in the sport before Guendouz took bronze in the 200m event at the World Paralympics Championships in Duisburg in 2023, while he also took silver at the African Championships in Abuja.

    Guendouz competes in the KL3 class, meaning that athletes have to contend with the absence of a lower limb or moderately impacted movement in one of their legs.

    The 25-year-old has already outlined his intention to reach the podium in France , and now has the chance to extend his medal-winning run on the grandest stage of all.

    Kat Swanepoel - South Africa

    South Africa are taking 26 athletes to the Paralympics, and while there's no place for Ntando Mahlangu as he continues his recovery from a car accident , Team SA will still fancy their chances of making the podium.

    One contender could be swimmer Swanepoel, who's returning to the Paralympics after previously participating in Tokyo.

    She's progressed immensely in the sport in recent years, notably setting an African record in the 150m individual medley event at the World Para Swimming Championships last year.

    Swanepoel was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis - a neurogenerative disease with impacts the brain's ability to control the body - during her healthcare studies, and competes despite being paralysed from the waist down and blind in one eye.

    She's previously represented the Rainbow Nation at wheelchair rugby and basketball, but her participation in Paris is in danger of being overshadowed by a reclassification before the Games - meaning she will be competing against "people who have more physical function" than she does.

    Her determination and tenacity have served her well in the past, and South Africa's flag-bearer will be hoping that her unswerving inner strength can push her to glory again.

    Noemi Alphonse - Mauritius

    Set to compete in the women's T54 events, for wheelchair track athletes who are without legs or who have affected movement in the legs, Alphonse has raised the game for African athletes in recent years.

    Known as the 'Lioness of the Tracks', she became a world champion earlier this year when she clinched gold in the 100m at the Kobe Para Athletics Championship in Japan , finishing 0.11 seconds ahead of Chinese competitor Zhaoqian Zhou.

    Alphonse has grown in prominence during the preceding years, and a year ago, at the same event in Paris, she took silver in the 100m and bronze in the 400m, while also breaking records at a continental level.

    A pioneer for Mauritian athletes - she's the first to compete in the final of a Paralympic event - and has raised the profile of the sport in her homeland.

    "There's no secret to this success," she told the local media . "There are many sacrifices to make, but we must remain motivated and determined."

    Sherif Osman - Egypt

    One of several bona fide legends to be competing at the Games, the Egyptian power-lifter is looking to add a fourth gold medal to his honours haul as he approaches his fifth Paralympics.

    Aiming to bounce back strongly after falling short - and 'only' taking silver in Tokyo - the 41-year-old will be a genuine contender for gold in Paris.

    This time he should be injury-free - a muscle rupture prevented him from truly being at his best three years ago - and the world record holder will be determined to reassert his dominance in the 56kg class.

    As well as his feats of strength, Osman has a certain style, class and panache in his approach to the sport, particularly in the way he engages with the bar ahead of him and psyches himself up before competing.

    Expect a new swathe of fans to be enthralled by his unique approach to power lifting over the weeks to coming.

    Christiana and Kayode Alabi - Nigeria

    Table tennis at the Paralympics perhaps represents one of Nigeria's best opportunities for a medal, with talented players in both the women's and the men's competition hoping to see off the world's best.

    They include husband-and-wife pair Kayode and Christiana Alabi - a silver medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games -- who bonded over their shared love of the sport after meeting at a national trials event in 2017.

    Understandably, table tennis is a key part of the day-to-day routine for the couple, who train together twice a day and will now become the first ever married African paralympic partnership to compete at the Games.

    Christiana will be competing in the women's singles event, while Kayode will continue coaching his wife while taking part in three separate events of his own.

    Husnah Kukundakwe - Uganda

    One of several competitors on this list coming back for more after previously making headlines at a Paralympics, Kukundakwe competed at Tokyo three years ago aged 14 and a half, the youngest competitor at the last Games.

    On that occasion, she participated in the SB8 100m breaststroke - the classification denoting that competitors have the partial absence of one limb or the ability to use only one arm or leg - and will take part in three separate events this time around.

    Speaking to BBC Sport , Kukundakwe described swimming as being - for her - an "escape from the world" and from the shyness that shaped her childhood due to a congenital limb impairment of her right arm.

    Having worn baggy clothing at school to hide her arm, the Ugandan credits swimming - and having to be in a state of undress in front of others - for helping her "learn to feel more confident with myself and stop listening to the whispers."

    Already imbued with a desire to help those with disabilities in her homeland, the 17-year-old has launched the Kukundakwe Foundation with a view to improving accessibility around sport.

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