Said Gomez
Encyclopedia
Said Gomez, born in 1966, is a Panama
nian athlete. Visually impaired, having "lost his sight at a young age", he has represented Panama
at five consecutive editions of the Summer Paralympic Games
. He has won a total of eight Paralympic medals, of which three gold, and is the only Panamanian ever to have medalled at the Paralympic Games.
He was one of Panama's only two representatives during its inaugural participation in the Games, in 1992
in Barcelona
. He funded his own participation. He entered three events in running, in the B3 category, and medalled in all three. In the 5,000m race, he won his country's first Paralympic gold medal with a world record time of 15:06.17. In the 1,500m race, he took silver in 4:02.32, just eight hundredths of a second behind French
athlete Christophe Carayon
, who set a new Paralympic record. In the 800m, he outran Carayon in the heats, but lost to him in the final. The Frenchman set a new world record in 1:54.79, while Gomez took silver in 1:55.67.
Gomez was Panama's only competitor at the 1996 Games
, and entered two races (T12 category), winning gold in both. In the 1,500m, he stormed to a world record winning time of 3:57.53, more than six seconds ahead of Canada
's Stuart McGregor
, who won silver, and more than ten seconds ahead of Carayon in third. In the 5,000m, he set a Paralympic record, winning gold in 15:01.49 - with a stunning lead of over 53 seconds on silver medallist Diosmani Gonzales, of Cuba
.
In 2000
, he was again Panama's sole representative, and entered the same two races. This time, he finished third in the 1,500m (in 4:06.01), and second in the 5,000m (in 15:21.64), but preserved his record of winning a medal in every Paralympic race he had ever taken part in.
In 2004
, Gomez entered the 5,000m and 10,000m races (T13 category), though this time he was not Panama's sole competitor, as compatriot Désirée Aguilar competed in swimming. Gomez ran the 10,000m race in 32:28.96, finishing fifth (out of 17), and thus failed to win a medal for the first time in his Paralympic career. However, he did win silver in the 5,000m (in 15:23.90), behind Kenya
's Joseph Ngorialuk
.
Gomez's participation in the 2008 Games
in Beijing
was, for the first time, funded by his country's Paralympic committee, rather than by himself. He competed once more in the 1,500m and 5,000m events (T13). Running in heat 3 in the 1,500m, he clocked a time of 4:19.60, well below his performance eight years earlier. Fifth in his heat, he did not advance to the final. There was disappointment, too, in the 5,000m, where his time of 16:54.95 was by far the slowest in his heat, and significantly below his prior achievements. Thus, for the first time, he returned from the Games without a medal. He was, however, awarded the Whang Youn Dai Overcome Prize by the International Paralympic Committee
, "a special award for athletes who can best represent the Paralympic spirit", during the Games' closing ceremony
. He was one of two recipients of the award, along with South African
swimmer Natalie du Toit
. The award came with "a medal made out of 75 grams pure gold".
A farmer by profession, Gomez has also been coaching able-bodied children and children with disabilities since 1982.
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian athlete. Visually impaired, having "lost his sight at a young age", he has represented Panama
Panama at the Paralympics
Panama made its Paralympic Games début at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, with a delegation of two competitors in athletics. It has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics, but never in the Winter Paralympics...
at five consecutive editions of the Summer Paralympic Games
Summer Paralympic Games
The Summer Paralympic Games or 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 Palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years,...
. He has won a total of eight Paralympic medals, of which three gold, and is the only Panamanian ever to have medalled at the Paralympic Games.
He was one of Panama's only two representatives during its inaugural participation in the Games, in 1992
1992 Summer Paralympics
The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. He funded his own participation. He entered three events in running, in the B3 category, and medalled in all three. In the 5,000m race, he won his country's first Paralympic gold medal with a world record time of 15:06.17. In the 1,500m race, he took silver in 4:02.32, just eight hundredths of a second behind French
France at the Paralympics
France participated in the inaugural Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome, and has taken part in every edition of the Summer and Winter Paralympics since then...
athlete Christophe Carayon
Christophe Carayon
Christophe Carayon is a paralympic athlete from France competing mainly in category T12 middle distance events.Christophe competed in two Paralympics winning two golds and two bronzes. His first games in 1992 Summer Paralympics gave him his two gold medals in the 800m and 1500m and a bronze in the...
, who set a new Paralympic record. In the 800m, he outran Carayon in the heats, but lost to him in the final. The Frenchman set a new world record in 1:54.79, while Gomez took silver in 1:55.67.
Gomez was Panama's only competitor at the 1996 Games
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
, and entered two races (T12 category), winning gold in both. In the 1,500m, he stormed to a world record winning time of 3:57.53, more than six seconds ahead of Canada
Canada at the Paralympics
Canada has participated eleven times in the Summer Paralympic Games and in all Winter Paralympic Games. They first competed at the Summer Games in 1968 and the Winter Games in 1976.-Milestones:...
's Stuart McGregor
Stuart McGregor
Stuart McGregor is a Paralympian athlete from Canada competing mainly in category T13 400m to 1500m events.Stuart has competed at three paralympics, always in the 400 metres and one other event...
, who won silver, and more than ten seconds ahead of Carayon in third. In the 5,000m, he set a Paralympic record, winning gold in 15:01.49 - with a stunning lead of over 53 seconds on silver medallist Diosmani Gonzales, of Cuba
Cuba at the Paralympics
Cuba first competed at the Paralympic Games in 1992. It has participated in every Summer Paralympics since then, but has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics. The country has won a total of 22 gold, 13 silver, and 18 bronze medals.-Medalists:...
.
In 2000
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
, he was again Panama's sole representative, and entered the same two races. This time, he finished third in the 1,500m (in 4:06.01), and second in the 5,000m (in 15:21.64), but preserved his record of winning a medal in every Paralympic race he had ever taken part in.
In 2004
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
, Gomez entered the 5,000m and 10,000m races (T13 category), though this time he was not Panama's sole competitor, as compatriot Désirée Aguilar competed in swimming. Gomez ran the 10,000m race in 32:28.96, finishing fifth (out of 17), and thus failed to win a medal for the first time in his Paralympic career. However, he did win silver in the 5,000m (in 15:23.90), behind Kenya
Kenya at the Paralympics
Kenya made its Paralympic Games début at the 1972 Summer Paralympics. It was absent in 1976, but returned to the 1980 Summer Games and has competed in every edition of the Summer Paralympics since then. It has never competed at the Winter Paralympics....
's Joseph Ngorialuk
Joseph Ngorialuk
Joseph Ngorialuk is a paralympic athlete from Kenya competing mainly in category T13 distance events.Joseph competed in both the Marathon and 5000m at the 2004 Summer Paralympics winning the gold medal in the shorter distance. -References:...
.
Gomez's participation in the 2008 Games
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
was, for the first time, funded by his country's Paralympic committee, rather than by himself. He competed once more in the 1,500m and 5,000m events (T13). Running in heat 3 in the 1,500m, he clocked a time of 4:19.60, well below his performance eight years earlier. Fifth in his heat, he did not advance to the final. There was disappointment, too, in the 5,000m, where his time of 16:54.95 was by far the slowest in his heat, and significantly below his prior achievements. Thus, for the first time, he returned from the Games without a medal. He was, however, awarded the Whang Youn Dai Overcome Prize by the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
, "a special award for athletes who can best represent the Paralympic spirit", during the Games' closing ceremony
2008 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony
The 2008 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time on September 17, 2008. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture....
. He was one of two recipients of the award, along with South African
South Africa at the Paralympics
South Africa has competed at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.The country made its Paralympic début at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, where it sent nine athletes to compete in archery, athletics, swimming and weightlifting. They finished sixth on the medal table with nineteen...
swimmer Natalie du Toit
Natalie du Toit
Natalie du Toit is a South African swimmer. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; the other being table tennis player Natalia Partyka...
. The award came with "a medal made out of 75 grams pure gold".
A farmer by profession, Gomez has also been coaching able-bodied children and children with disabilities since 1982.