Portuguese athlete Margarida Silva secured a historic gold medal in the 800 meters at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, setting a new Games record and completing a personal journey of redemption.
Silva’s victory came with a time of 2:10.38 minutes, surpassing the previous Deaflympics record of 2:10.50.
The gold medal is particularly significant as it marks her as the first Portuguese woman to win an athletics gold medal at the Deaflympics.
This triumph followed her earlier silver medal in the 1500 meters, where she expressed feeling a “grudge” after believing she could have won if she had not lost her shoe during the race.
She channeled that sentiment into her 800-meter performance, stating she focused solely on achieving victory and enduring to the finish line.
Silva outpaced Iuliia Abubiakirova, who competed under a neutral flag and took silver with a time of 2:10.64 minutes. China’s Na Gao earned the bronze, finishing in 2:11.69.
Silva emphasized her determination to reach the podium, with the gold medal as her clear objective going into the final race.
She also spoke about her broader athletic journey, highlighting a decision to embrace her deafness to reduce competition-related stress.
Over the past 15 months, Silva joined a Deaflympic project focused on rehabilitation.
She stated that these medals are special because they represent “recovery and running with health and happiness.”
Her two medals contribute to Portugal’s total of five at the current Deaflympics. Judoka Joana Santos earned gold in the -57kg category, while cyclist André Soares secured a silver in the individual time trial and a bronze in the points race.