Paralympic teams announced with catchy line-ups

Lucia Araujo or Da Silva Teixeira, the Paralympic judoka who won silver at London 2012 and was one of the stars of Rio 2016's award-winning 'Mindchanger Workout' video, has been confirmed on the Brazilian team for Rio 2016.

The short film, which went viral on social media in September 2015, challenges society's perceptions of people with an impairment and celebrates the abilities of some of Brazil's leading Paralympians.

In the film, three Brazilian Paralympic athletes turn up unannounced at gyms. The ill-disguised derision of other gym members turns to open-mouthed astonishment as the Paralympian stars start their routines and are soon outperforming everyone else in the gym. Hidden cameras capture the gym-goers’ amazed reactions.

Lucia Araujo won silver at the Paralympic Games London in 2012 U57kg. She won judo bronze at the 2014 IBSA World Championships in Colorado, USA. In 2015 she won bronze at the IBSA World Games in Seoul. She won the Visual Impaired Grand Prix in Birmingham in 2016 and silver at the VI German Open in Heidelberg in 2016. Third at the World Ranking in advance of the Paralympic Games in Rio, seeded third. 

Now on a bigger stage and in front of a bigger audience, 35-year-old Teixeira will compete in the women’s up to 57kg at Rio 2016.  Lucia Teixeira will be in action on 9 September at the Paralympics in Rio at Carioca 3.