Martina Caironi

Caironi is one of Italy’s biggest Paralympic talents, and with two Paralympic, five world and two European titles to her name, it is no big surprise.

At the London 2017 World Championships, Caironi won both the 100m T42 and long jump T42 titles, leaping to a best of 4.72m while in the 100m, she clocked 14.65 - the only athlete to go under 15 seconds.

While she may not have had her great rival Vanessa Low for company – the German-born Para athlete didn’t compete in London – Caironi’s performances were nonetheless impressive after the start of her season was hampered by injury.

Caironi, who lost her left leg above the knee after a motorcycle accident in 2007, won her first major title at the London 2012 Games, where she took gold in the 100m T42.

Long jump and 100m T42 gold followed at the 2013 World Championships, but it was in 2015 that the Italian really set the world alight.

In June that year she lowered her 200m T42 world record three times to 31.73 seconds and bettered her own 100m record. At the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, she broke the 100m T42 world record twice. In the semi-finals she posted 15.01, before a scintillating 14.61 in the final secured her the world title.

She had to settle for world silver in the long jump as Low leapt 4.79m to top the podium, also taking the world record the pair had previously jointly held.

Despite an early season injury, Caironi got herself in shape for the 2016 European Championships on home soil in Grosseto, Italy. She retained her 100m (15.80) crown from Swansea 2014 and took silver in the long jump (4.48m) behind Low.

At Rio 2016 she successfully defended her 100m T42 Paralympic title. In the heats she lowered the Paralympic record to 14.80, before clocking 14.97 in the final. In the long jump she set a personal best of 4.66m for silver as Low claimed gold.