Lenine Cunha

Lenny (Athlete, 14 Dec 2011)

Listening to music, surfing the internet. (inas.org, 08 Mar 2019)

Winning bronze in the T20 long jump at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, and winning gold in the T20 triple jump at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. (inas.org, 08 Mar 2019; maisfutebol.iol.pt, 09 Mar 2020)

His mother, and coach Jose Costa Pereira. (inas.org, 08 Mar 2019; maisfutebol.iol.pt, 09 Mar 2020)

British triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. (Athlete, 20 Aug 2018; tribunaexpresso.pt, 26 Feb 2020)

He suffered a left knee injury in 2017 that required surgery. He took nine months to return to fitness. He also injured the same knee in 2014. (comiteparalimpicoportugal.pt, 28 Nov 2014; desporto.sapo.pt, 14 Sep 2017; Facebook page, 09 Jul 2018)

"I want to be remembered for never giving up. I want people to look at me and see hope. And I want people to know that, even when everything looks dark, you can still thrive and be the best in the world if you believe." (inas.org, 08 Mar 2019)

He received the Best Male Athlete Award at the 2017 International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability [INAS] Awards. (insidethegames.biz, 23 Apr 2017)

To set a personal best at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He wants to become a coach after his competitive career is over. "I want to help kids with or without impairment. It's something that helps in life. And who knows if one of them will compete at the Paralympic Games." (maisfutebol.iol.pt, 09 Mar 2020; radiolumena.com, 03 Dec 2019)

He contracted meningitis at age four. The illness resulted in speech impediments as well as diminished hearing, memory, vision and function of his left side. (Facebook page, 18 Oct 2017; desporto.sapo.pt, 11 Apr 2015; Athlete, 20 Aug 2018; maisfutebol.iol.pt, 09 Mar 2020)

CLUB FOUNDER
In November 2015 he formed his own club, Sport Clube Lenine Cunha, which aims to help young athletes start and develop their sporting careers. "We aim to provide the right opportunities for those who are determined to pursue athletics. I want to become a coach and use my experience in order to help people who want to thrive in the sport or simply adopt a healthy lifestyle." (inas.org, 08 Mar 2019; airinformacao.pt, 21 Dec 2015; desporto.sapo.pt, 04 Apr 2017; tribunaexpresso.pt, 26 Feb 2020)

PERSONAL LOSS
His mother passed away from cancer in 2015. He dedicated the gold medal he won in the T20 triple jump at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, to her. "I lost my mother and my world collapsed. I lost everything. I had to rediscover my motivation. In the hospital bed, she had asked me not to stop chasing my dreams and doing what I liked the most. When I went up to the podium [at the 2015 World Championships], I felt my mother with me and I sobbed my heart out." (maisfutebol.iol.pt, 09 Mar 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has done public speaking engagements, and hopes to raise awareness of meningitis and intellectual impairments. "My life experience may give hope to others, so I take every opportunity I have to speak about the importance of vaccination." (inas.org, 08 Mar 2019; radiolumena.com, 03 Dec 2019)

NAME
His parents named him after Russian politician Vladimir Lenin. "I had a bit of a bad time at school because I had two teachers who didn't like me because of the name. I had problems when I was baptised because the priest did not want to baptise me. In the civil registry, they didn't want to register me either. Everything was solved by putting the 'e' at the end of my name." (tribunaexpresso.pt, 26 Feb 2020)