'One-Arm Table Tennis' Player... "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams" [Paris Olympics]

Brazil's Alexandre Suffers Right Arm Amputation Due to Vaccine Side Effects
6th Athlete to Compete in Both Paralympics and Olympics
"Believe That Everything Is Possible"

There is a protagonist who made the 2024 Paris Olympics shine even brighter.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This is the story of Bruna Alexandre (Brazil), who plays table tennis with only her left hand, without a right arm. On the 5th (local time), she faced South Korea in the round of 16 of the women's team table tennis event at the Paris Olympics held at the South Paris Arena in France. Although she lost to South Korea, which featured Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee, she received more applause from the audience. Without a right hand, she served by tossing the ball high with the paddle in her left hand. Although her movements sometimes looked precarious, she continued the match by returning the ball just like other regular players.

Alexandre had her right arm amputated due to thrombosis caused by a vaccine side effect when she was six months old. She did not consider having one arm a disability. She started playing table tennis in her teens. She developed her sense of balance by skateboarding and playing futsal.

Through diligent training, she left a clear mark in para table tennis. She won bronze medals in singles and team events at the 2014 Beijing World Para Table Tennis Championships, and a gold medal in the team event at the 2017 Bratislava, Slovakia tournament. She earned bronze medals in the women's singles and team events at the 2016 Paralympics held in her home country, Rio de Janeiro, and won a silver medal in singles at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Bruna Alexandre, a 'one-armed table tennis' player, is competing against Eunhye Lee in the women's team table tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Alexandre set her sights on ‘higher goals.’ She decided to challenge the Paris Olympics, and the Brazilian Table Tennis Association selected her as a national representative. Alongside Bruna Takahashi and Giulia Takahashi, ranked 20th in the world in singles, she proudly competed in the team event.

On that day against South Korea, she made new history in para sports. Following Poland’s ‘one-armed table tennis legend’ Natalia Partyka, she became the second table tennis player ever to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics. After completing her Olympic schedule, Alexandre now continues her medal pursuit at the Paris Paralympics. She will become the sixth athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics held in the same year.

Alexandre said, "South Korea is one of the best teams. I was very happy to score a few points, and I am proud of our team that fought until the end." She plans to challenge the Los Angeles Olympics four years from now. "Whether you have one leg or one arm, never give up on your dreams. Believe that everything is possible. After 22 years of playing, I finally stepped onto the Olympic stage today."