Aline dos Santos Rocha (born 20 February 1991) is a Brazilian

wheelchair racer Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and field, track and road races. Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, including leg amputees, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy. Athletes are c ...

and

skier Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...

, who came third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon, and won multiple medals at the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships. She competed at the

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...

and the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and

2022 Winter Paralympics The 2022 Winter Paralympics (), also known as XIII Paralympic Winter Games, commonly known as Beijing 2022 (), were an international winter multi-sport parasports event held in Beijing, China, from 4 to 13 March 2022. This was the 13th Winter ...

Personal life

Rocha is from

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

, Brazil. At the age of 15, Rocha was injured in a car accident, and became

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...

. She studied

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

at the University of Western Santa Catarina. Rocha is married to Fernando Orso, who is also her coach.

Wheelchair racing career

As of 2017, Rocha had won the

Saint Silvester Road Race The Saint Silvester Road Race () is a long-distance running event, the oldest and most prestigious street race in Brazil. Regarded as the main international event in Latin American athletics, the Brazilian competition is held yearly in the cit ...

on four occasions. In 2015, she won the 100 metres, 400 metres and 800 metres events at the (Regional Games of the State of São Paulo). Later in the year, she finished third at the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon in a Brazilian national record time of 01:49:37. She competed at the

, finishing ninth overall in the 1500 metres T54 competition and 10th in the marathon T54 event, after falling away from the main group after of the race. She went out in the heats of the 5000 metres T54 event. Rocha came 10th at the

2019 London Marathon The 2019 London Marathon was the 39th running of the annual marathon race in London, United Kingdom, which took place on 28 April. The elite men's race was won by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who took his fourth London Marathon victory in a time of ...

. Rocha came third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon. Later in the year, she came fifth at the 2021 London Marathon. She suffered a flat tyre a few minutes prior to the race start.

Skiing career

In 2017, Rocha competed at the Cross-Country Ski World Cup in Ukraine. Rocha was selected for the

2018 Winter Paralympics The 2018 Winter Paralympics (), the 12th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the Internation ...

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...

, South Korea. She was the first Brazilian woman to compete at a

Winter Paralympic Games The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. Th ...

, and was the country's flagbearer at the

Parade of Nations The Olympic Games ceremonies are events held at the Olympic Games since their beginning in the ancient games, including the opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. The ceremonies are used to introduce and end the competition, award competitors, ...

. At the Games, she finished 12th in the 5 km sitting event, 15th in the 12 km sitting event and 22nd in the qualification round of the 1.5 km sprint classical sitting event. She was also part of the Brazilian team that finished 13th and last in the 4 x 2.5 kilometre mixed relay; she competed in two legs of the event. Rocha finished third in the 5 km event at the 2021 Paralympic Ski World Cup event in

Kranjska Gora Kranjska Gora (; ) is a town in northwestern Slovenia, on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region, close to the Austrian and Italy, Italian borders. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kranjska Gora. The tripoint between Austria, It ...

, Slovenia. In October 2021, she competed at the Paralympic Rollerski Championship. In January 2022, Rocha came fourth in the 15 km sitting event at the

2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships The 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships was an international disability sport competition held in Lillehammer, Norway from 8 to 23 January 2022. It was the inaugural edition of the World Para Snow Sports Championships with para-alpine skiin ...

. Rocha qualified for the

in Beijing, China. Rocha and Cristian Ribera were Brazil's flag bearers at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Parade of Nations. She came seventh in the 15 km sitting event, and 10th in the 7.5 km sitting event. She was fifth in her semi-final at the 1.5 km sprint sitting event, and did not qualify for the final. At the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships, Rocha won the sprint freestyle race, and finished third in both the 10km freestyle and 18 km classical events.

References

External links

Aline dos Santos Rocha
at the

Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocha, Aline 1991 births Living people Brazilian female wheelchair racers Brazilian female cross-country skiers Paralympic wheelchair racers Paralympic athletes for Brazil Paralympic cross-country skiers for Brazil Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Cross-country skiers at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Cross-country skiers at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2023 Parapan American Games Medalists at the 2023 Parapan American Games Medalists at the World Para Athletics Championships Sportspeople from Paraná (state) 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen Parapan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Parapan American Games silver medalists for Brazil