Gomes hopes strong test event will secure his Rio 2016 place

“It is until you live through an event like this, when you realise the dimension and power of the Games and the Paralympic Movement.”

Paralympic and world champion Felipe Gomes is determined to prove just why he should be part of Brazil’s Rio 2016 Paralympic team when he lines up at this week’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix (18-21 May) in Rio de Janeiro.

Gomes is one of the world’s best blind athletes, winning Paralympic 200m T11 gold at London 2012 as well as bronze over 100m.

The 30-year-old also has three world silver medals as well as 200m T11 gold from last year’s IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

But the Campo dos Goytacazes-born athlete – who began his sporting career playing blind football – is far from complacent.

With places on the Brazilian team up for grabs, Gomes wants to show that he is once again ready to shine on the Paralympic stage.

“I feel great and I am in a very good form. However, I need to prove that I’m in a great moment at the track, because I have to secure a spot in the national team and a ticket for the Paralympic Games,” said Gomes, who also plans to take on the 400m this year.

Gomes is one of over 300 Para athletes set to compete in the city’s newly renovated Olympic Stadium this week in the seventh of this year’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix, which also acts as the test event for September’s Paralympics.

The Grand Prix will be one of the last major international events for many Para athletes before the Games start, and a vital chance for Brazil’s track and field stars to make their marks ahead of the final decision on team selection for Rio 2016.

Gomes certainly does not want to miss his chance of competing at his third Paralympics.

“I had the opportunity to compete in Beijing 2008 and in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The Paralympics are something that cannot be compared to anything else; they are wonderful and full of magic,” he said.

“It is until you live through an event like this, when you realise the dimension and power of the Games and the Paralympic Movement.”

The Grand Prix will also give Gomes the chance to compete alongside his new guide Jonas Alexandre for the first time, and he is equally determined not to repeat any mistakes he may have made in the past.

“We need to correct our mistakes and adjust some things while we run; but it is a good chance for us to win the confidence we need and to show that we have a really good chemistry,” Gomes said.

“We hope to have a good performance during the test event, meet all our rivals and get to know the track at the Olympic Stadium, which is very important for me.”

One of Gomes’ key rivals is US sprinter and 100m T11 world champion David Brown. The 23-year-old currently holds both the 100m and 200m T11 world records, and is arguably the favourite to win gold at Rio 2016. Brown recently clocked an impressive 22.45 seconds when racing over 200m in the USA in April, just 0.04 off his world record.

Not that Gomes is fazed.

“He might be getting good times recently, but he is not invincible,” added the Brazilian. “He may be beaten, and I am working to do it.”

Gomes certainly understands how important this week’s Grand Prix will play as part of his preparations for the 2016 Games:

“It is a test event and we are going to face it as what it is. It is a really important competition because there we can get to know how good we are, how the Games might be, correct our mistakes, and of course, guarantee a place on the Brazilian National Team.”