Four Paralympians made international headlines this week after finishing the men’s 1,500-metre track race faster than any athletes at the Rio Olympics.
Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka won the gold medal, setting a world record time of three minutes and 48.29 seconds. Ethiopian athlete Tamiru Demisse took silver with a time of three minutes and 48.49 seconds and Kenyan Henry Kirwa won bronze in three minutes 49.59 seconds.
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During the Rio Olympics in August, U.S. runner Matthew Centrowitz took home gold in the same event with a time of three minutes and 50 seconds.
But the three medal winners weren’t the only Paralympians to beat Centrowitz’s gold medal time.
Algeria’s Fouad Baka placed fourth in the race, but still finished ahead of Centrowitz’s time, running the entire 1,500 metres in three minutes and 49.84 seconds.
The men’s Olympic 1,500-metre final was the slowest Olympic final since 1932 but in the qualifying heats, the able-bodied athletes all posted times higher than the Paralympians. The finale, however, becomes a bit of a chess match, with many athletes attempting to save their legs for a strong finishing kick.
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The athletes all compete in the T13 class, which means they have visual impairments. According to the International Paralympic Committee, the visual impairment classification ranges from T11 to T13. The higher the number is the less severe the impairment.
“It wasn’t easy to get this gold medal,” said gold medal winner Abdellatif Baka. “I’ve been working one or two years non-stop and it’s been very, very hard for me.”