Yohansson Nascimento

Breaking Barriers

Born without hands, Yohansson Nascimento learned from an early age that he could overcome many difficulties with the combination of a positive attitude and indomitable spirit.

When he was introduced to the sport of running at the age of 17, he had no idea he would one day become one of the top Paralympic athletes in the world.

In fact, Yohansson medaled twice in his first Paralympic appearance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In 2012, he dominated the competition, twice breaking the T45 world record and earning a gold medal in the men’s 200 meters T46 event. He went on to tie the world record and earn silver in the 400-meters T46 event and set a third T45 world record in the 4x100-meter men’s relay.

Yohansson is primed in 2016 to break even more records—and use that success to connect the people of his nation to the Paralympic Games.

T45/T46 Sprinting

Sprint competitions in the Paralympic Games are straightforward—the fastest runner wins. Athletes compete in a variety of distances, including the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, etc.). T45/T46 refers to Paralympic athlete classification, indicating athletes with “bilateral limb impairment.”

World Records

100M T45: 10.94s (+0.2 m/s)
200M T45: 21.91s
400M T45: 49.21s