The best Paralympics’ moments
By María Morena Vicente and Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch
We continue to highlight stories from the Paralympics that challenge perceptions of disability and foster compassion.
Beyond the athletes’ incredible achievements, photographers with disabilities have captured the essence of these Games, showing that creativity knows no boundaries.
Ready to discover some amazing pictures?
Brazil’s players prepare for a men’s goalball match. Photograph: João Batista Maia da Silva.
João Batista Maia da Silva, who lost most of his sight, relies on sound and touch to create powerful images of sports like goalball. His camera is equipped with accessibility features to enhance his work.
Brazil’s Elizabeth Rodrigues Gomes competes in the women’s F54 shot put competition (left) // Thalita Vitória Simplicio da Silva of Brazil and her guide, Felipe Veloso da Silva, compete during the Women’s 400m T11 heats (right).
Photograph: João Batista Maia da Silva
“My photography relies more on my feelings, sensations and emotions than on vision,” explains Maia da Silva, who lost most of his sight in his late 20s after contracting uveitis.
Maia da Silva by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images for IPC.
Emilio Morenatti, who lost a leg in Afghanistan, captures emotional moments like the following:
Beatriz Hatz of the United States competes in the women’s long jump T64 final // Medina Meneses of Colombia competes in the men’s javelin F34 final // Athletes’ prosthetic legs lie against a chair during a warmup session at the swimming pool.
Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP
“The Paralympics is a phenomenon that you’re touched by and you never forget,” says the veteran news photographer Emilio Morenatti. “You see people crying in the stands, sharing in the moment as the last swimmer finishes, not just the first swimmer. For me, it’s much more inspiring than the Olympics.”
Emilio Morenatti by Marco Djudica.
“I was in a good moment in my career, winning awards, and then suddenly I was without a leg,” he says. “I was a very agile man before then, so I thought to myself: ‘What next?’ Should I become an editor or something other than a photographer? And then I thought: ‘No, I’m going to give photography another chance.’”
These amazing moments were pictured by Samantha Hurley:
Italy’s Alessandro Ossola proposes to his partner Arianna Mandaradoni after competing in the men’s 100m T63 class // Maria Clara Augusto da Silva of Brazil reacts with shock after winning bronze in the women’s 400m T47 class //Yukako Hata of Japan competes in the women’s PTS2 triathlon race at Pont Alexandre III.
Photograph: Samantha Hurley
She is a journalist who went blind due to albinism and uses her camera and storytelling abilities to overcome visual barriers and document athletes’ triumphs. She is also an activist on disability.
Last but not least, these are the Paralympics through the lens of Ian Rice:
Japan’s Yuki Hasegawa (L) attempts to block Sarah Adam of the US as they compete in the final of the open wheelchair rugby at the Champ de Mars Arena // France’s Lucas Mazur reaches for a backhand in a men’s singles badminton SL4 match against India’s Tarun Tarun at the Port de La Chappelle Arena // Germany’s Heiko Wiesenthal in action during a men’s sitting volleyball match against Iran at the North Paris Arena.
Photograph: Ian Rice/AFP/Getty Images
He was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis in his 40s, after a career in finance and the energy sector. “Initially, I didn’t take to my wheelchair at all well,” he says. “I was in the worst possible mental health space, but taking up photography helped me to get out of the house.”
These photographers redefine how we view both art and ability. Their work is a reminder that
limitations exist only in our minds, and true creativity comes from pushing beyond expectations.
There are no barriers to capturing life’s most powerful moments.