Athletes

Petrucio Ferreira

Brazil Para athletics 18 November 1996

Caicó, Brazil

Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos of Brazil wins and sets a new world record in the Men's 100m T47 Final at the London 2017 World Para Athletics Championships.

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Biography

Human Interest
Data	Value
Impairment Information
Type of Impairment	Limb deficiency
Origin of Impairment	Acquired
Classification	T47
Further Personal Information
Residence	João Pessoa, BRA
Occupation	Student
Languages	Portuguese
Higher education	Physical Education - Mauricio de Nassau Faculty: João Pessoa, BRA
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?	He got involved in athletics in 2013.
Why this sport?	His athletic talent was noticed while he was playing futsal for his school team. He then signed up to compete at a school event and won, despite having never trained and using borrowed shoes.
Club / Team	Esporte Clube Pinheiros: São Paulo, BRA
Name of coach	Pedro de Almeida Pereira [personal], from 2014
International Debut
Year	2014
Competing for	Brazil
General Interest
Hobbies	Listening to music. (Olimpiada Todo Dia YouTube channel, 22 Apr 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement	Setting a world record in the T47 100m at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Olimpiada Todo Dia YouTube channel, 22 Apr 2020)
Most influential person in career	Maria Natividade, who helped him to become an athlete. (Olimpiada Todo Dia YouTube channel, 22 Apr 2020; Athlete, 18 Jul 2017)
Injuries	In January 2019 he lost two teeth and fractured his upper jaw after diving into a river in Jardim de Piranhas, Brazil. He required surgery, and returned to training in March 2019. (globoesporte.globo.com, 28 Apr 2019; brasil2016.gov.br, 10 Jan 2019; globoesporte.globo.com, 07 Jan 2019) In September 2015 he injured his thigh while competing at a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He returned to training in early October, but in the same month he sustained a hamstring injury two days before he was set to compete at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. He was unable to participate in any of his events at the tournament. (globoesporte.globo.com, 30 Apr 2017; paralympic.org, 31 May 2016; altervista.org, 02 Apr 2016; caixa.gov.br, 07 Oct 2015)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Faith, focus and strength." (Olimpiada Todo Dia YouTube channel, 22 Apr 2020)
Awards and honours	In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 he was named Para Athletics Athlete of the Year by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee [CPB]. (agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br, 17 Dec 2019; cpb.org.br, 06 Dec 2018; globoesporte.globo.com, 04 Dec 2017, 07 Dec 2016; paralympic.org, 02 Dec 2016) He was named the 2016 Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year in Brazil. (paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2016; globoesporte.globo.com, 07 Dec 2016)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (globoesporte.globo.com, 11 Jan 2021)
Impairment	At age two his arm was amputated below the elbow after an accident with a grinding machine. He had been trying to imitate his father, who used the machine to grind grass to feed the cows on the family's farm. (cpb.org.br, 01 Sep 2019; altervista.org, 02 Apr 2016; ndonline.com.br, 19 Aug 2014)
Other information	SUPPORT When he was a young athlete he competed at the Brazilian School Games held in Joao Pessoa, Brazil. He was spotted by a coach who wanted him to remain in Joao Pessoa to train, but he did not have the resources to stay in the city. He was then helped with housing by the mother of another young athlete, who was also from his hometown of Sao Jose do Brejo da Cruz, Brazil. He won the gold medal in the T47 100m at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on September 11th, the birthday of the woman who had helped him. "Today is the birthday of a lady who helped me, who housed me, who gave me the chance to practise this sport when I had nothing." (olimpiadas.uol.com.br, 12 Sep 2016)

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