Paralympic athletes have shown at Tokyo 2020 that life adversities can be a driving force to accomplish goals. Some of this year's competitors have hard life stories, but they have not stopped them from standing on the Paralympic podium. 

 

Among the 133 countries participating in the Paralympics, Latin Americans have stood out for their excellent performances, winning gold, silver and bronze medals in most Paralympic competitions. 

 

Brazil is the main competitor for Latin America at the Paralympic Games, as it currently leads the medal table with 14 gold, 11 silver and 17 bronze medals.  

 

In the shot put category, Brazil's Wallace Santos broke the record in the F54-55, reaching 12.63 meters. 

 

Brazil also won gold with Silvania Costa de Oliveira in the long jump, long-distance runner Yeltsin Jacques and Petruccio Ferreira in athletics. 

 

The Mexican Paralympic delegation set out the goal to reach 100 gold medals in its history, for which they must surpass their medal count at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where they won 15 medals and finished in 29th place.

 

So far, the country has 13 medals in total, with five gold, one silver and seven bronze, placing them in 17th position in the world ranking. 

 

One of the most outstanding stories is from Amalia Perez, who participated in the final of 61kg women's powerlifting competition and took the first gold for Mexico in Tokyo 2020 by lifting 131 kg.

 

According to the Mexican Paralympic Committee, the athlete already has six medals in her Olympic career. The first was silver in Sydney 2000, followed by a silver in Athens 2004, and gold in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. 

 

For this country, the achievements of athletes Linda Perez and Lisbeli Vera stand out, who won gold on Tuesday, Aug. 31, becoming the queens of the hectometer of the Paralympic Games at Tokyo 2020.

 

Linda Perez won the gold medal in the 100 meters T11 competition and Lisbeli Vera in 100 meters T47 women's contest. 

 

Venezuela has six medals in total — two gold, two silver and two bronze. 

 

Colombia is currently in 29th position in the Paralympic medal table, with two gold, five silver and eight bronze medals. 

 

The country's first gold medal was won by para-athlete Nelson Crispin, who has since won three medals in Tokyo.  

 

Crispin, who suffers from achondroplasia, a disease that affects the cartilage and prevents the normal development of bones, is only 1.35 meters tall and has shown that he is one of the best Paralympic swimmers at the games.

 

The United States has also made significant strides at the Paralympic Games, winning 24 gold medals, surpassed only by the Russian Olympic Committee (25), United Kingdom (29) and China (62).

 

The U.S. delegation's first gold medal was won by Gia Pergolini in the 100-meter backstroke. The 17-year-old beat Italy's Carlotta Gilli and Australia's Katja Dedekind, who placed second and third, respectively. 

 

Pergolini's victory was followed by 23 others, including Anastasia Pagonis (women's 400m freestyle - swimming), Mallory Weggemann (women's 200m medley and 100m backstroke - swimming), Roxanne Trunnell (equestrian in two disciplines), Nick Mayhugh (men's 100m - athletics), Ian Seidenfeld (table tennis), Snyder Brad (men's triathlon), Seely Allysa (women's triathlon) and Sam Grewe (men's high jump).