Athlete loses arm to compete in table tennis at Paris 2024 Olympics

Bruna Alexandre played two matches, when Brazil lost 1-3 to South Korea in the women's team event on August 5. The girl born in 1995 made hits and slices like normal tennis players. The difference was in her serve, when she placed the ball on the racket and then tossed it high to make a serve.

Alexandre's serve looks easy and natural, but it used to be her biggest struggle. From a girl with no arms, Alexandre is now a professional tennis player.

Paris 2024 was Alexandre's first Olympics, but it was cut short when Brazil faced a medal contender in the opening match. "It wasn't the result I expected, but I'm very happy with what I achieved," the 29-year-old told Reuters.

In the first match, Alexandre played doubles with Giulia Takahashi and lost 6-11, 5-11, 8-11. Brazil then won and lost two singles matches, before Alexandre played the remaining singles match, losing to Lee Eun-hye 8-11, 5-11, 6-11. The Brazilian girl affirmed that the whole team felt happy and proud because they fought until the end against one of the strongest opponents.

Alexandre lost her right arm to a blood clot from a botched vaccination when she was just six months old. She took up table tennis at seven and has won a number of titles, including a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

The Olympic defeat did not make Alexandre feel weak. She considers it an honor and is aiming to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which will take place from August 28 to September 8, and also wants to compete again at Los Angeles 2028. "I think I have helped not only table tennis, but also inspired other disabled people," said Alexandre.

Alexandre's weaknesses are that she cannot maintain her balance as well as her opponents and lacks speed. She makes up for it with a unique serve that confuses opponents. Coach Jorge Fanck said he has kept the same training method for ordinary players with Alexandre. "She makes up for any difficulties she may encounter with talent," he told the AP news agency.

Bruna Alexandre is the first Brazilian athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics. But she is not the only one at Paris 2024.

Table tennis player Melissa Tapper is competing for Australia in her third Olympics. The 34-year-old suffered from brachial plexus at birth, which left her with little to no feeling and movement in her right arm.

Tapper is ranked 248th in the world table tennis rankings, while Alexandre is 182nd. Like Alexandre, Tapper has also played table tennis since childhood and won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. When competing, Tapper wears a custom brace on her right forearm to add strength to her wrist. "People just think I have a sprain or something," she said.

In the 2024 Paris women's singles, Tapper was eliminated in the opening match against fourth seed Shin Yu-bin of South Korea. In the women's team, she, Michelle Bromley and Jee Min-hyung lost 0-3 to Taiwanese players.

Data from the Centre for Olympic Studies shows that several more athletes have competed in both the Olympics and Paralympics. These include Polish table tennis player Natalie Partyka at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit (2008) and Italian archer Paola Fantato (1996).

The most famous disabled athlete is Oscar Pistorius who competed in London 2012, in athletics, in the 400m and 4x400m relay events. The double amputee won six gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal in the Paralympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012.