Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
made its
Paralympic Games début at the
1976 Summer Paralympics
The 1976 Summer Paralympics (french: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 1976), branded as Torontolympiad – 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled, was the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were hosted by Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 4 t ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, with a small delegation of three competitors in
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
and swimming. The country has participated in every subsequent edition of the
Summer Paralympics, except
1980 and
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
, but has never entered the
Winter Paralympics. Ecuador's delegations have always been small (never more than four competitors).
On 29 August 2021, the country won its first two Paralympic medals at the
2020 Summer Paralympics through Mendez sisters
Poleth Isamar Mendes Sanchez and
Anaís Méndez Poleth Mendes won Ecuador's first Paralympic gold medal with a new world record of 14.39 in the
women's F20 shot put event during the
2020 Summer Paralympics. Her sister Anaís also won bronze medal in the same discipline making it a rare instance of athletes coming from same family who go on to win medals in a same competition.
Prior to the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Ecuador had never won a Paralympic medal.
Medalists
See also
*
Ecuador at the Olympics
References
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