{"id":33479,"date":"2026-11-05T19:19:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=33479"},"modified":"2026-11-05T19:19:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T19:19:00","slug":"mariana-dandrea-on-para-sport-paralympic-gold-and-changing-perceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=33479","title":{"rendered":"Mariana D\u2019Andrea on Para sport, Paralympic gold and changing perceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Before becoming a Paralympic champion, Mariana D’Andrea<\/a> says she was often defined by her disability. Today, the Brazilian is known instead for her achievements as a two-time gold medallist and one of the leading athletes in Para powerlifting<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

D\u2019Andrea made her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016<\/a>, just two years after trying Para powerlifting for the first time. At Tokyo 2020<\/a>, she became the first Brazilian Para powerlifter to top the Paralympic podium, winning the women\u2019s up to 73kg division, before defending her title at Paris 2024<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember that before I started powerlifting, people would look at me and ask to take photos with me just because of my disability. Sometimes they would make inappropriate jokes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c(Now) they ask because I am a gold medallist, because I am an athlete. The public’s perception has changed a lot,\u201d said D\u2019Andrea, who is an athlete of short stature.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI see how recognised I am, how much people are inspired by me, and that makes all the difference. Today, I don’t really see many limits. Paralympic sport can help people stop seeing disability negatively and always see the positive side.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\n Mariana D’Andrea’s Heartbreak at Home That Led To Paralympic Gold \ud83e\udd47\ud83e\udd47<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

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From Rio to double Paralympic podium\u00a0<\/h2>\n

D\u2019Andrea was introduced to Para powerlifting in 2014 when a coach invited her to learn more about the sport. She says her relationship with the sport “wasn’t love at first sight\u201d, but it came at the right moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was finishing school and didn’t know what I would do, what degree I would pursue, or how I would manage it. I would have needed a job to pay for university,\u201d the 28-year-old athlete said.\u00a0\u201cI never imagined I could become an athlete. It never crossed my mind until I discovered powerlifting, started practicing it, and won my first (Paralympic) medal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when I won, it really touched me deeply. The first medal, hearing my country’s anthem, making my family, my coach and everyone proud.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, D’Andrea became the first Brazilian to win a Paralympic gold medal. @Koki Nagahama\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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While it was at Tokyo 2020 that she made history for Brazil, it was Rio 2016 where she first witnessed the power of the Paralympic Games. Competing on home soil, she could not register a successful lift in the women’s up to 61kg category, but the Games left a lasting impression on her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere was a change nationally, both in the way people with and without disabilities viewed disability itself,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cFor people with disabilities, it meant seeing new athletes emerge. People ended up learning more about disabilities because they came to watch and it changed the way they thought about and saw disability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Games also helped Brazil become one of the leading nations in Paralympic sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw many athletes emerging and discovering great talents that we didn’t know existed before Rio, and now we know they are there and more keep coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She went on to win gold at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. While she was the only Brazilian Para powerlifting gold medallist in Japan, Tayana Medeiros topped the podium in the women’s up to 86kg category in the French capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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D’Andrea celebrated with her coach after winning in the women’s up to 73kg final at Paris 2024. @Michael Reaves\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Two years until LA28\u00a0<\/h2>\n

With less than two years to go until the LA28 Paralympic Games<\/a>, D\u2019Andrea is preparing to make even more history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy preparation for Los Angeles 2028 has been very intense. We are dedicating ourselves tremendously.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already have two Paralympic gold medals, and we want to go after a third. For that to happen, we need to train every day, rest, and maintain good nutrition, because all of that will make the difference when it comes to winning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to prepare hard to show all our talent and fight for another medal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Discover more about Para powerlifting<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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