‘Rocketman’ grabs 3rd Paralympic gold

PARIS, France (AFP) — Brazilian swimmer Gabrielzinho said he felt like a “Rocketman” after he won his third gold medal of the Paris Paralympics on Monday when he raced to victory in the 200 meters freestyle S2 final with another remarkable performance.

The 22-year-old, who has no arms or hands and whose legs are atrophied, clocked three minutes and 58.92 seconds in the La Defense Arena, with neutral athlete Vladimir Danilenko and Chile’s Alberto Abarza Diaz finishing second and third, respectively.

The third gold for the Brazilian, whose full name is Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo, follows his successes in the 100m backstroke and 50m backstroke.

“It’s a feeling of a mission accomplished, a duty accomplished. Because I came to Paris to get the three golds,” Gabrielzinho said.

“So, I’m really happy.”

At Tokyo 2020, the Brazilian picked up two golds and one silver. Now he has achieved his goal of going one better.

Speaking to AFP in August, Gabrielzinho said his dream for the Paris Games was to “turn his silver medal in the 100m backstroke into gold” and to win three gold medals.

“I have a feeling of a full, completed mission because I came all this way here to win the three golds. And now I’ve accomplished this goal,” the swimmer said.

Speaking after the race, silver medalist Danilenko described Gabrielzinho as the “Rocketman.”

It was a statement the Brazilian later agreed with, adding with a chuckle: “I’m very happy and I hope to continue being the ‘Rocketman.’”

“And as they say, rockets don’t have wings, so let’s keep taking off.”

“I’m really, really happy. I feel like I’m a rocketman and rockets don’t go backwards, (they) always go straight and always forward.”