Nicaragua at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Nicaragua at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
IPC code	NCA
NPC	Comité Paralímpico Nicaragüense
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors	3 in 2 sports
Flag bearer	Gabriel Cuadra Holmann
Medals	Gold 0 Silver 0 Bronze 0 Total 0
Summer Paralympics appearances (overview)
2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Nicaragua sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the Central American country's third appearance at the Summer Paralympic Games, having made its debut twelve years earlier at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. They were represented by three athletes, sprinter Jennifer Osejo, middle-distance runner and sprinter Gabriel Cuadra Holmann and powerlifter Fernando Acevedo, who all qualified for the games by achieving the minimum qualifying standard in international competition. Neither Holmann or Osejo claimed a medal in their respective events and Acevado finished fifth in the men's −72kg powerlifting class.

Background

Nicaragua made its Paralympic debut at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. The nation has appeared in most Paralympic Games since, except for the 2008 Summer Paralympics, making Rio de Janeiro its third appearance at a Summer Paralympiad, but has yet to debut at the Winter Paralympic Games.^[1] At the close of the Rio Paralympics, Nicaragua had not medalled at the Paralympic Games.^[1] The 2016 Summer Paralympics were held from 7–18 September 2016 with a total of 4,328 athletes representing 159 National Paralympic Committees taking part.^[2] Nicaragua sent three athletes to compete in Rio de Janeiro: sprinter Jennifer Osejo, middle-distance runner and sprinter Gabriel Cuadra Holmann and powerlifter Fernando Acevedo.^[3] A ceremony was held on behalf of the team with the athletes on 28 July 2016,^[4] and the delegation travelled to Brazil on 5 September.^[5] Holmann was chosen to be the flag bearer for the parade of nations during the opening ceremony.^[5]

Disability classification

Main article: Disability sport classification

Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.^[6][7] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.^[8]

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Gabriel Caudra Holmann was 23 years old at the time of the Rio Summer Paralympics. He was making his second appearance in the quadrennial multi-sport competition, having represented Nicaragua at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.^[3] Holmann was born with cerebral palsy due to him having a respiratory arrest that starved him of oxygen after a medical error from a gynecologist while his mother was in labour on 12 November 1992.^[9] He qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics by winning two bronze medals at the 2015 Parapan American Games.^[10] On 10 September, Holmann competed in the men's 100 metres T36 final. He completed the race in a new personal best time of 12.91 seconds, which put him sixth out of seven finishing sprinters.^[a][11] Holmann participated in the final of the men's 400 metres T36 six days later. With a time of 58.50 seconds, he improved his personal best for the second successive Paralympic event to place sixth out of seven competitors.^[12] On 17 September, Holmann took part in the final of the men's 800 metres T36. He came fifth out of six athletes improving his own personal best Central American record to 2 minutes and 16.21 seconds.^[13]

At the age of 19, Jennifer Osejo was the youngest athlete to represent Nicaragua at the Rio Paralympic Games. She was making her debut at the Summer Paralympic Games, having participated in the Central American Games for Students with Disabilities and the Parapan American Games.^[3] Osejo's condition is congenital; like Holmann, she was born with cerebral palsy and is classified T37 by the International Paralympic Committee.^[14] She qualified for the Rio Paralympics at a sprinting event that was held as part of the 2016 Ecuador Para Athletics International Open.^[3] On 8 September, Osejo took part in the semi-final heats of the women's 100 metres T37.^[15] Assigned to heat one, she completed the event in a time of 18.18 seconds, which was a new personal best, and put her sixth and last out of all athletes in her heat.^[16] Overall, Osjeco finished eleventh and last out of all competitors, and she did not advance to the final because her effort was 1.85 seconds behind the slowest athlete who progressed to the next stage.^[17]

Men's Track

Athlete	Events	Final
		Time	Rank
Gabriel Cuadra Holmann	100 m T36	12.91	6 PB[18]
	400 m T36	58.50	6 PB[18]
	800 m T36	2:16.21	5 PB[18]

Women's Track

Athlete	Events	Heat		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Jennifer Osejo	100 m T37	18.18	6	did not advance[17]

Powerlifting

Main article: Powerlifting at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Fernando Acevedo was the oldest person to compete for Nicaragua at the Rio Paralympic Games at the age of 37. This was the first time he compete in the Paralympic movement.^[3] Acevedo has been afflicted with polio since he was eight years old but he has avoided the use of a wheelchair and uses a cane to help him walk.^[19] He qualified for the Paralympics because he won a bronze medal in the men's −72 kg powerlifting class at the 2015 Parapan American Games.^[20] This enabled Nicagarua to make its Paralympic debut in a sport that was not para-athletics.^[21] On 11 September, Acevedo competed in the men's −72kg powerlifting category. He failed to lift 140 kg (310 lb) on his first and second attempts but he was successful at his third try and he placed fifth.^[21]

Athlete	Event	Result	Rank
Fernando Acevedo	Men's −72 kg	140 kg (310 lb)	5[21]

See also

• Nicaragua at the 2016 Summer Olympics
• Nicaragua at the Paralympics

Notes

1. One athlete, Roman Pavlyk, was disqualified.^[11]

References

1. "Nicaragua at the Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
2. "Rio 2016". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
3. "Nicaragua, rumbo a los Paralímpicos Río 2016" (in Spanish). Teletón Nicaragua. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
4. Espinoza Flores, Carlos; Cerón Méndez, Tania (28 July 2016). "Presidente Daniel abandera a atletas nicaragüenses que participarán en Juegos Olímpicos y Paralímpicos Río 2016". El 19 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
5. "Delegación nica rumbo a Paralímpicos de Río" (in Spanish). Sandinista National Liberation Front. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
6. McGarry, Andrew (3 September 2008). "Paralympics categories explained". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
7. "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
8. "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
9. Luz Romero, Dora (14 October 2012). "Vida Contra Pronósticos". La Prensa. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
10. González Morales, Oscar (18 August 2015). "Nicas dan el paso hacia los Paralímpicos". La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
11. "Gabriel Cuadra Holmann, sexto en la final de los 100 metros en Río 2016". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). 10 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
12. A. Montealto, Carlos (17 September 2016). "Gabriel Cuadra Holmann sexto de siete en los 400 planos T36 en los Juegos Paralímpicos". Hoy (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
13. A. Montealto, Carlos (18 September 2016). "Cierra Gabriel Cuadra Holmann con récord americano". Hoy (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
14. "Jennifer Osejo – Athlete Bio". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
15. "Jennifer Osejo abre participación de nicas en Juegos Paralímpicos" (in Spanish). La Nueva Radio YA. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
16. "Paralímpica nicaragüense mejora marca personal en Río-2016" (in Spanish). Sandinista National Liberation Front. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
17. "Leichtathletik, 100 m, T37 – stehend, Frauen" (in German). Sportschau. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
18. Araquistain C., Xavier (September 2016). "Gabriel Cuadra, mejoró sus marcas e impuso una regional" (in Spanish). Nicaraguan Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
19. Membreño, Rosa (18 January 2018). ""Sueño con ser miembro del Salón de la Fama del Deporte Nicaragüense", afirma el atleta Fernando Acevedo". Hoy (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
20. "Nica gana bronce en juegos parapanamericanos" (in Spanish). Radio La Primerísima. 9 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
21. Hale, Laura (11 September 2016). "Nicaragua's Fernando Acevedo finishes fifth in men's −72kg class at the Rio Paralympics". Parasport-News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.