Medal of the day at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (September 2): Gloria Zarza and the gold of her dreams
“I have worked hard for it and I always woke up dreaming of that medal,” said Gloria Zarza in an interview for CONADE.
This medal was the most glorious: the gold medal of the Paralympic Games.
Zarza’s words came moments after she became Paralympic champion for the first time in her career by achieving the best shot put (8.06 meters) in the T54 class. She consequently gave Mexico its first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“I feel very happy to have achieved Mexico’s first gold medal. When I went to ring the bell, I saw some kids in the stands carrying the Mexican flag and shouting my name. I didn’t know them, but it’s great to know that there are Mexican people here,” she continued to CONADE.
Zarza seemed to have come close to winning this gold medal in every Paralympic Games in which she had participated: she made her debut in Rio 2016 with a fourth place; in Tokyo 2020, in 2021, she won the silver medal.
In Paris 2024, Zarza, who arrived as world champion, won the coveted gold, ahead of the Brazilian Elizabeth Gómez Rodrigues (7.82 metres); and the Uzbek Nurkhon Kurbanova (7.75 metres). The one who was left off the podium was the Chilean Francisca Mardones, who was fourth, and could not defend her Paralympic title. In Tokyo 2020, Mardones became the first Chilean woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games.
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