Susana Schnarndorf Ribeiro (

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

, October 12, 1967) is a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer. In 2005, after a lengthy

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

career, at the age of 37, Schnarndorf began to experience the first symptoms of a mysterious degenerative disease that was later diagnosed as

multiple system atrophy Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by autonomic dysfunction, tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, and postural instability (collectively known as parkinsonism) and ataxia. This is caused by progr ...

(MSA). After a break from professional athletics, Schnarndorf returned to the sports world as a swimmer and is presently a member of the Brazilian Paralympic Swimming Team.

Professional life

Susana began her swimming career at age of 11 in

, Rio Grande do Sul, under the coaching of Mauri Fonseca. She was a five-time Brazilian triathlon champion, competing in numerous races between 1993 and 1997. Susana competed in the

1995 Pan American Games File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

Mar Del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...

, Argentina. She moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

and married Brazilian triathlete Alexandre Ribeiro, with whom she participated in several international triathlon competitions. Susana competed in a total of 13 WTC

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...

s, winning six of them. Along with Alexandre Ribeiro, Susana had three children: Kaillani, Kaipo and Maila. However, in 2005, just a few months after the birth of her daughter, the couple divorced. Later that year, Schnarndorf began to feel the first symptoms of a mysterious degenerative disease that was later diagnosed as Multiple System Atrophy. Susana won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

at the

2016 Summer Paralympic Games ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

in Rio de Janeiro, representing her country of Brazil in the mixed 4x50m freestyle relay category.

Multiple System Atrophy

It took several years before Schnarndorf received the correct diagnosis of Multiple System Atrophy. Her condition worsened in 2008, when she lost coordination of the left side of her body. As a result of her progressive disability, Schnarndorf was unable to raise her three children alone, causing them to move into their father's home.

Multiple system atrophy Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by autonomic dysfunction, tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, and postural instability (collectively known as parkinsonism) and ataxia. This is caused by progr ...

(MSA) causes degeneration of multiple parts of the nervous system and results in muscle rigidity, incoordination, and a progressive decline in function of vital organs such as the lungs and heart. Neurological damage is irreversible and permanent. The life expectancy varies from 5 to 10 years.

Paralympic sport

left, Swimming at 2012 paralympics in London After a period of profound depression, Schnarndorf joined the Brazilian Paralympic Swimming team in 2010. Susana was Brazilian champion and record holder in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 200m medley between 2010 and 2012. In

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Summer Paralympics The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral ...

, she was fourth place in the 100m breaststroke (SB7) and fifth in the 200m medley (SM7). In 2013, she won the 100m freestyle world championship in the SB6 category at the IPC Paralympic World Swimming Championships in Montreal, Canada. Susana received the award for best female athlete, also in 2013, at the Paralympic Prize in Rio de Janeiro. On September 9, 2016, Schnarndorf won the silver medal at the

Rio 2016 The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Paralympic Games, in the 4x50m freestyle mixed relay, along with swimmers like

Daniel Dias Daniel de Faria Dias (born 24 May 1988) is a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer. Having learnt to swim in 2004 after being inspired by Clodoaldo Silva at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, he entered his first international competition two years later winni ...

, Joana Silva and

Clodoaldo Silva Clodoaldo Silva (born 1 February 1979) is a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer. He competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, winning three silver medals and one bronze. He competed again at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, where he set ...

on September 9, 2016.

Documentaries

In 2016, Schnarndorf was featured in the documentary
4All
along with other well-known Brazilian paralympians. In 2018, the documentary '' A Day for Susana'' directed by Giovanna Giovanini and Rodrigo Boecker, which portrayed Susana between the years 2014 and 2016, showing her family and health dramas during her journey to the Paralympic Games of 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The film had its world premiere during the 42nd São Paulo International Film Festival and was officially selected for the 40th Havana Film Festival, 43rd Atlanta Film Festival, 17th Gdansk DocFilm Festival in Poland and 13th This Human World in Austria, where it received an honorable jury mention in the Up and Coming session.

Support for research and charity

In September 2017, a US non-governmental organisation, Defeat MSA established the 'Susana Schnarndorf MSA Legacy Fund' with an aim to raise money for medical education, scientific research and support for MSA patients, especially those suffering from the disease in South America.

References

External links

Susana Schnarndorf – Official website
Susana Ribeiro
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Schnarndorf, Susana Paralympic swimmers for Brazil Brazilian female triathletes Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in swimming Paralympic silver medalists for Brazil Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics 1967 births Living people Triathletes at the 1995 Pan American Games Brazilian female freestyle swimmers Brazilian female breaststroke swimmers Brazilian female medley swimmers Sportspeople from Porto Alegre 20th-century Brazilian women 21st-century Brazilian women