Last Saturday (17), the athletes from Betim’s athletics delegation took part in two important competitions and returned home with no less than 20 medals: 11 won at the Pro-Index Tournament in Belo Horizonte and 9 at the Loterias Caixa Paralympic Meeting in Goiânia.

These achievements reflect the transformative impact of sport on the lives of children, teenagers and young people served by the Viva o Esporte project, run in Betim by the Ramacrisna Institute in partnership with Betim City Hall.

Highlights at the Pro-Index Tournament

Eight athletes from the project stood out at the Pro-Index Tournament, promoted by the Minas Gerais Athletics Federation at the UFMG Sports Training Center. They competed in track and field events such as the 100, 200 and 800 meter races, javelin throw, discus throw, weight throw and long jump.

Young Samara Quesado dos Santos, in the under-14 category, stood out by winning two gold medals, in the 800 meters and the long jump. Emanuélly Priscila Soares Máffia do Nascimento, from the under-20 category, was runner-up in the 100-meter dash.

In the women’s adult category, Aline Santos de Oliveira Dumont won silver in the weight throw and javelin throw, while Regina Célia Simões de Paula took bronze in the 100-meter dash.
In the adult men’s category, the highlights were Caio Wendel Carvalho Martins, with silver in the discus throw; Richard Gabriel Soares do Nascimento Máffia, bronze in the 100-meter dash; and Arthur Augusto de Souza Araújo, who won two bronze medals, in the weight throw and javelin throw.

In the under-18 category, Alisson de Barros da Rocha completed Betin’s participation with 3rd place in the 100 meters.

Brilliance also on the Paralympic tracks

In Goiânia, during the Loterias Caixa Paralympic Meeting, the five representatives of Viva o Esporte also showed strength, grit and overcoming. The competition, organized by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), is one of the main events on the national calendar for athletes with disabilities.

Diego Pereira de Jesus was champion in the 200 and 400 meter races. Athlete Lorena Vitória Alves de Souza also took two gold medals, in the 200 and 800 meters. Alan Patrick Claudino topped the podium in the long jump.

João Pedro Tomaz Siqueira de Oliveira won gold in the 200 meters and bronze in the 400 meters, while Bruno Thiago Santana secured two silver medals, in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters.

More than medals, a transformation project

For the vice-president of the Ramacrisna Institute, Solange Bottaro, the results go far beyond the podium. “These achievements show the power of sport as a tool for social transformation. Each medal is the result of hard work, discipline and the support we offer our students on a daily basis,” she says.

Solange also emphasizes the role of projects like Viva o Esporte in building opportunities for all. “We are proud to see our young people growing as athletes and as citizens. Sport teaches values such as respect, teamwork and resilience – and that’s what we want to take into their lives. Success on the track and field is the result of work done with seriousness and love,” he says.