Para table tennis star Bruna Alexandre is looking to take the spotlight at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games after she made history by becoming the first athlete from Brazil to qualify for both Games..

“Today the dream came true. I arrived at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” the two-time Paralympian Alexandre posted on Instagram, two days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Table tennis is one of the 45 sports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will take place from 26 July to 11 August, and Alexandre is set to compete in the women's team event on 5 August. 

“I am very happy for this opportunity to represent all Brazilians with disabilities at the Olympic Games and show that I can play on an equal footing with any athlete,” Alexandre said. “I have the dream of being a Paralympic champion and playing against athletes without disabilities strengthens me in pursuit of this goal."

Partiu 🇫🇷 Paris!

Giulia Takahashi, Bruna Alexandre e Laura Watanabe já estão a caminho dos @jogosolimpicos com Jorge Fanck e Sandro Abrão 🏓🔥 pic.twitter.com/1uIfkoRWqk

— CBTM (@CBTM_TM) July 21, 2024

Making history

Alexandre, who underwent amputation of her right arm, took up table tennis at age 12. She made her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016, where she captured two bronze medals in front of a home crowd. Five years later, she took silver in the women’s singles class 10 tournament at Tokyo 2020.

And in June, she made history for Brazil by qualifying for both the Paralympic and Olympic Games.

“I never thought that I would live and withstand so many challenges that life has imposed on me in my 2 months of life, but today I can celebrate, sing and even cry and share with everyone who loves me and who follows my journey of becoming the FIRST ATHLETE FROM THE HISTORY OF BRAZIL being called to play the Olympic and Paralympic Games” in the same Games cycle, she said on Instagram.

Bom dia, 🇫🇷 Paris!#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/MyoNpoD8ey

— CBTM (@CBTM_TM) July 24, 2024

The 29-year-old is not the first table tennis player to qualify for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sixteen years ago, Poland’s Natalia Partyka became the first table tennis athlete to compete at both the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Alexandre draws inspiration from Partyka, who became the youngest Paralympian in table tennis history when she competed at Sydney 2000 aged just 11. At Athens 2004, she became the youngest Paralympic table tennis champion.

“I was always inspired by Natalia Partyka for all she achieved in her career,” Alexandre told the International Table tennis Federation. “I focused a lot to beat her, and last year I managed to do it.”

Alexandre credits her success to her training routine that includes practicing sports like futsal and skateboarding. “Skateboarding provides this sense of body and balance. The strength of the entire body has to be stable,” she explained.

Ahead of her first Olympic competition at the South Paris Arena, the table tennis star shared what she looks forward to accomplishing at both Games. 

"I hope to be able to play the Olympic Games and get the gold medal in Paris [at the Paralympic Games],” she said. “In Tokyo, I took the silver, but I see that my preparation is getting better and better.”

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which open on 28 August, there will be as many as 280 Para table tennis players competing in 31 medal events at Paris 2024. 

Discover more about goalball and the 22 sports in the Paris 2024 Paralympic sports programme 

Book your tickets for the Paralympic Games by visiting the Paris 2024 ticketing website