Oliveira in 2012
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Personal information | |
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Birth name | Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira |
Born |
Marabá, Brazil |
August 21, 1992
Sport | |
Disability class | T43 |
Medal record
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Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira (born August 21, 1992) is a Paralympian athlete from Brazil competing mainly in category T44 sprint events. Oliveira is a double-below-the-knee amputee, classifiying him in the Paralympic T43 class; athletes in this class run in T44 events.
Oliveira was born in Marabá, in the state of Pará. He had both legs amputated at the age of 21 days, after an intestinal infection led to septicemia. By the age of eight, he was competing in athletics. Oliveira began running with wooden prostheses, and started competing in races in Brazil at age 13. He began running on carbon-fibre blades at the age of 15, shortly before competing in his first Paralympics in Beijing.
Competing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, Oliveira won a silver medal in the T42–T46 4 × 100 metres relay as part of the Brazilian team, after failing to win a medal in the T44 200m. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London he won gold in the T44 200m, ahead of Oscar Pistorius who was a favorite to win. Immediately after the race Pistorius caused controversy by criticising the blades Oliveira had used, claiming they were too long and artificially increased his stride length, giving him an unfair advantage. Pistorius' complaint was denied at that time by the International Paralympic Committee, which stated all athletes were measured prior to the race by a classifier and all blade lengths were approved for competition.