This Paralympic Sprinter Lost The Gold, But Then Her Guide Pulled An Emotional Stunt

Paralympic sprinter Keula Semedo was still trying to catch her breath after running the race of a lifetime when her guide confronted her at the finish line. What was this all about? Well, as it turned out, Manuel Antonio Vaz da Veiga was planning to stage an emotional stunt that would amaze and charm the entire world.

Aiming for gold

It’s fair to say that few people could have predicted what eventually happened — not even Semedo! You see, prior to that dramatic incident at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, her focus would’ve been on securing a gold medal for her country. After all, this had been her goal for years.

Semedo’s story

But in truth, sport hadn’t been Semedo’s first love back in her home country of Cape Verde. Yes, the future Paralympian was already in her teens when the idea of competing first came up. A teacher at her school really motivated her to pursue it, ahead of a remarkable rise.

Developing her skills

Semedo made her first appearance at an athletics event in 2005 held in Angola. We hope her teacher was watching! From there, the visually impaired runner kept at it for the next few years, honing her skills on the track. And her country certainly recognized those efforts as time went on.

A big move

Yet before that happened, Semedo had stepped away from the sport for a brief period at the start of the 2010s. Why? Well, she decided to leave Cape Verde with her mom so they could be nearer to her dad. So the athlete packed her bags for Portugal.