Brazil’s dancing para-swimmer Gabriel Araujo wants to bring happiness to others

SINGAPORE – At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Gabriel Araujo finished top among the world’s best swimmers thrice, as he completed a hat-trick of titles in the men’s 200m freestyle, 50m and 100m backstroke S2 events.

It was not just his success in the pool that won fans over – his dance moves on the pool deck and infectious energy made him a crowd favourite.

The Brazilian – who has phocomelia, a congenital condition that results in shortened or malformed arms and legs – has seen his life change drastically since the Paris Games, with his affable personality bringing him public recognition.

One encounter with a father and daughter at a shopping mall stands out.

The young girl was shy at first, but as they left, she ran back to give him a hug and for Araujo, who has atrophied legs and no arms, it was a moving reminder of how much perceptions have shifted.

“It’s really special with children because in the past they would run away from me, but now they run towards me,” said Araujo in an interview ahead of the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.

“There’s recognition in Paris, but also in Brazil. Everywhere I go, every city I go, people recognise me and want to take a picture, especially children.

“That’s really important to me because they’re the future, so it’s really something that moves me and I’m really happy with that.”

Since the Paralympics, the 23-year-old has been invited to music festivals and award shows, while attracting the interest of brands and sponsors – opportunities that he feels were not as accessible to para-athletes in the past.

The multiple-gold world champion hopes this visibility will help raise the profile of para-athletes and earn them the same recognition as their able-bodied peers.

He said: “I hope this shows people will understand that this is about high performance. There is the aspect of inclusivity, but it’s about high performance.

“We train really hard, we work really hard as any other athlete and I hope that when people understand that, we can step by step get closer to this parity, to be treated the same way as non para-athletes.”

Dubbed the “Pele of the Pool” and “Rocket Man” for his blistering speed – he owns two world records – Araujo still prefers the affectionate nickname Gabrielzinho (Little Gabriel in Portuguese), a reminder that greatness is not defined by size.

The nickname, rooted in his Brazilian identity, has grown in popularity and he hopes it will continue to bring joy to others.

He said: “What makes me happy is my family, to have people who are always with me no matter what happens but also being well-received wherever I go.

“The way I was treated in Paris was so important – this was before the medals, during the medals and after – it was not just something because I was winning and that’s what makes me happy.

“I believe that happiness is key for everything, so that’s the way I see it and I want to spread it.”

After winning Paralympic and world titles, Araujo remains hungry for more.

He is driven by the challenge of going faster and wants to leave his mark on the world of para-sports.

On Sept 23, he claimed his first gold at the world meet in Singapore after clocking a championship record of 1min 54.58sec in the 100m backstroke S2 final ahead of Russia’s Vladimir Danilenko (2:02.29) and Poland’s Jacek Czech (2:03.87).

Just a day earlier, Araujo finished fifth in the 150m individual medley SM3 in 3:16.26 to lower his own world mark by a whopping 5.99sec.

Araujo said: “If I win one gold today, I want to win gold tomorrow and the question is, how am I going to do that? How am I going to swim better than I did? So that’s what works for me.

“At the same time, I don’t work only for medals, I want to perform the best way I can, then the medals come as a consequence. But I also want to become part of the history of Paralympic sports and para-swimming and I know for that, one medal is not enough, so that’s what motivates me.”