Lightning strikes thrice for world’s best para athlete

PARIS, France (AFP) — The world’s fastest Paralympian Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos said “lightning has struck for the third time” after he sprinted to his third Paralympic gold medal in the men’s T47 100-meter at the Paris Games on Friday.

Double defending champion Ferreira, who lost his left arm below the elbow aged two after an accident with a grinding machine, won in a photo finish in cold and wet conditions at the Stade de France.

He clocked a season-best 10.68 seconds, seven hundredths of a second ahead of silver medallist Korban Best of the USA, with Morocco’s Aymane El Haddaoui a further 0.03 seconds behind in third.

“I’m happy, lightning has struck for the third time at the Paralympic Games and I’m coming home with another medal,” Ferreira said.

“That’s three golds now at the Paralympics. It’s an emotion that’s hard to describe.”

The 27-year-old Brazilian won gold medals in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and smashed the para-world record in 2022 when he posted a time of 10.29 seconds.

Ferreira had qualified for the final by finishing second in his heat, behind Best, under gray skies and drizzle at the Stade de France.

But the cheery Brazilian did not let the miserable weather and far-from-ideal sprinting conditions get him down.

“It’s time to have fun,” he said.