This Paralympic Sprinter Lost The Gold, But Then Her Guide Pulled An Emotional Stunt

It’s fair to say that few people could have predicted what eventually happened — not even Semedo! You see, prior to that dramatic incident at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, her focus would’ve been on securing a gold medal for her country. After all, this had been her goal for years.

But in truth, sport hadn’t been Semedo’s first love back in her home country of Cape Verde. Yes, the future Paralympian was already in her teens when the idea of competing first came up. A teacher at her school really motivated her to pursue it, ahead of a remarkable rise.

Semedo made her first appearance at an athletics event in 2005 held in Angola. We hope her teacher was watching! From there, the visually impaired runner kept at it for the next few years, honing her skills on the track. And her country certainly recognized those efforts as time went on.

Yet before that happened, Semedo had stepped away from the sport for a brief period at the start of the 2010s. Why? Well, she decided to leave Cape Verde with her mom so they could be nearer to her dad. So the athlete packed her bags for Portugal.

While that was going on, Semedo stopped competing until she was settled again, with 2012 marking her return. Presumably it was a tough task for the runner to regain her form and fitness after her hiatus. Yet happily, not long after her return Cape Verde’s government looked to reward the sprinter for her hard work on the running track.

Yep, Semedo was handed Cape Verde’s Medal of Sports Merit in 2012. Good for her! But for as awesome as that was, she no doubt would’ve been hoping to add an even more prestigious medal to her collection in the future. Could the runner realize her dreams at the Paralympics?

Semedo definitely put in the hard yards leading up to the delayed 2020 games in Tokyo. According to the International Paralympic Committee’s official website, her weekly training schedule was around seven hours long. Now, while that number might seem a little low at first, you have to remember that she wasn’t a full-time athlete.

In fact, Semedo had a few different irons in the fire. For instance, she describes herself as a “digital influencer” on her Instagram page, which has over 7,000 followers at the time of writing. On top of that, the runner’s done some modeling work, too, but it doesn’t end there.

You see, Semedo has a degree in physiotherapy as well. The website of British newspaper the Daily Mail reported that she earned it while studying in Lisbon. So as we suggested, she had plenty to occupy her away from the track, too! Ultimately, though, her non-sporting commitments didn’t stop her from reaching the prestigious event in Japan.

Speaking of which, that’s got us wondering — did Semedo have any personal heroes that she wanted to emulate in Tokyo? You bet! The Cape Verde athlete really looked up to Marcio Fernandes, who competed for her home country at the Paralympics in 2012 and 2016. He also led out the team during the parade of nations at the opening ceremonies of both events.

Then again, while Semedo holds Fernandes in high regard, the athlete isn’t her biggest influence in the sport. Instead, that honor belongs to her guide on the track, Vaz da Veiga — remember him from earlier? Yet there’s more to their relationship than just runner and helper.

As it turns out, Semedo and Vaz da Veiga shared a romantic bond together as well. That must’ve made all those training sessions more bearable for the pair! And perhaps their close spiritual connection might even have lent her an advantage over her competitors during races?

Now of course, the main focus of the visually impaired running events at the Paralympics is on the para-athletes themselves, and that’s as it should be. But to keep the athletes on track, they need someone else to act as a guide. So, a rope binds the two together for the duration of the race.

Keeping that in mind, the connection between a sprinter and their guide is absolutely key. Surely Semedo would have the edge given her relationship with Vaz da Veiga? Unfortunately for them, any advantage it lent them didn’t prove decisive in the end. Still, what happened in the aftermath of their heat became the real talking-point.

So, let’s head back to September 2021 in Tokyo. Semedo is one of four competitors hoping to reach the T11 200-meter semi-finals, with rain beating down on the track. She’s positioned in the inside lane with Vaz da Veiga. Once everyone is ready, the starting gun fires to kick off the race.

The athletes accelerate off the blocks, sprinting around the bend to hit the home straight of the track. The duo in the middle lane go on to establish an unassailable lead at this point, and leave everyone else in their dust. But where are Semedo and Vaz da Veiga by this stage? Are they close behind?

Sadly for the Cape Verde star, she and her partner struggle to make up any ground on their competition. They finish the race in fourth, which ends Semedo’s chance of winning a medal for her country. As the sprinters and their guides wait to hear their running times, though, Vaz da Veiga disappears from the track.

Where could Vaz da Veiga have gone? Why did he leave? In the meantime, the three other runners start to gather around Semedo, who’s still trying to catch her breath. It’s a pretty unique scene — normally, competitors don’t group together like this in the immediate aftermath of a race. What’s going on?

Vaz da Veiga finally reemerges a few moments later, sporting a big smile on his face. He then takes Semedo’s right hand, and drops down to one knee. Yes, the guide proposes to her! Wow! What a place to do it! That’s one gesture that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Semedo accepts, as the athletes and people in attendance give them a joyous round of applause. While that’s happening, Vaz da Veiga slips the ring on her finger and then hugs his wife-to-be. It’s a beautiful moment, and there’s some more good news to come for the happy couple as well.

You see, even though Semedo finished last in the heat, her time was excellent. The commentator on the television coverage confirms that she’s registered her “season’s best” time on that run. So while a Paralympic medal would’ve been incredible, that achievement’s not a bad silver lining.

Anyway, the post-race proposal quickly gained a lot of media attention, catapulting Semedo and Vaz da Veiga into the public spotlight. The official Paralympic Twitter account shared the news via a tweet, which went on to earn over 1,600 retweets and more than 7,600 likes. The event’s YouTube channel got in on the act, too.

Yep, the race and its romantic aftermath was posted in full on the website in September 2021. Since then, it’s brought in just under 150,000 views at the time of writing. Alongside that, outlets such as the Daily Mail, CNN and Today’s website have also covered Vaz da Veiga’s proposal.

But how did Semedo feel after the event? Ignoring all the outside coverage for a moment, what was her response to becoming Vaz da Veiga’s fiancée on the biggest stage for para-athletes? She went into more detail on that front while speaking to the media, with CNN sharing her reaction.

Semedo said, “I really have no words. There are so many emotions all together. Just the fact of being here at the Paralympic Games, I hardly felt my legs actually because I was so nervous. Now, with the proposal, there are just too many emotions going on right now. I don’t have words to explain how I feel at this moment.”

“I always had the dream of getting married,” Semedo continued. “But we hadn’t planned anything so far. We haven’t spoken about it and I wasn’t expecting it at all.” No wonder she was so surprised, then! And the sprinter believed that she might not have been the only one in her family who felt that way.

Semedo noted, “I’m not sure if any of my relatives already knew [about the proposal], because I didn’t know. But I’m sure our parents will go crazy. They will like it. I’m sure my mom will be very happy because she always wanted me to get married.” Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for that reaction!

As for Vaz da Veiga, he gave some insight into why he had decided to pop the question in such dramatic fashion. In his mind, it seemed like the perfect time and place to do it, having been with Semedo for over a decade at that stage. And he revealed just who was in on it, too.

Vaz da Veiga told the press, “[I decided to propose to Semedo] since her name was put on the list to come to Tokyo, [at] the end of July. My two brothers and a friend of mine already knew of this. I’m sure they’ll be very happy. My family will be thrilled. They will all love the idea.”

Sticking with that, we can’t help but ask — what was the response like from the public? Well, that takes us back to the YouTube video posted on the Paralympic Games’ channel. The surprise proposal generated a number of well-intentioned comments from online users, hailing the happy couple in Tokyo.

One user wrote, “Seeing such a wonderful scene like this makes me happy over here. I would like to express my congratulations from Japan!” Meanwhile, someone else said, “I have tears in my eyes. This was absolutely beautiful. Congratulations to this inspiring and beautiful couple.” We get the feeling they weren’t the only person who needed a tissue or two!

But how about this for a shock? Incredibly, Vaz da Veiga wasn’t the only guy who decided to pop the question during the Tokyo Games. A similar incident had taken place at the Olympics earlier that summer, involving Maria Perez Maurice and her long-time trainer and boyfriend Lucas Saucedo.

Perez Maurice, who was competing for Argentina in the fencing event, had been with Saucedo for nearly two decades heading into the Olympics. In fact, the Daily Mail reported that he had asked for her hand in marriage previously back in 2010. On that occasion, though, the athlete — then competing in the World Fencing Championships — had refused his advances.

That couldn’t have been easy to take! Yet Saucedo tried his luck again some 11 years later, this time on an even bigger stage. It wasn’t the most conventional of proposals, either; he opted for a different approach to Vaz da Veiga. His plan was set in motion following Perez Maurice’s exit from the event.

As Perez Maurice was speaking to the Argentine media, Saucedo appeared behind her with a written note. It simply read, “Will you marry me? Please.” The fencer soon turned around and let out a surprised cry, accepting the proposal this time. Thank goodness she didn’t say “no” on live television!

Then again, Saucedo’s plan was nearly scuppered before the big moment. You see, the coach needed a piece of paper on which to write his question. But the event volunteer he approached initially said no! In the end, he had to swap an official Olympics pin badge to get the sheet. Still, given the outcome, we’re sure he regards it as worthwhile trade.

Anyway, let’s switch our focus back to Semedo and Vaz da Veiga. What’s next for the happy couple? Other than a wedding, of course. The bride-to-be answered that during her chat with the media. Apparently, she’s planning to compete in the 2024 Paralympics alongside her beau. Can she bag a medal this time? It’s probably the only way the sprinter can get close to matching her delight in Tokyo!