Aline Rocha

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is dos Santos and the second or paternal family name is Rocha.

Aline dos Santos Rocha is a Brazilian wheelchair racer and skier, who came third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon, and won multiple medals at the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships. She competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Aline Rocha

Aline Rocha at the 2023 London Marathon.
Personal information
Full name	Aline dos Santos Rocha
Born	Paraná, Brazil
Alma mater	University of Western Santa Catarina
Sport
Sport	Wheelchair racing Cross-country skiing
Disability class	T54 (wheelchair racing) Sitting (skiing)
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2016 Summer, 2018 Winter, 2022 Winter
Medal record Representing  Brazil Cross-country skiing Paralympic Ski World Cup 2021 Kranjska Gora 5 km World Para Nordic Skiing Championships 2023 Ostersund Sprint freestyle 2023 Ostersund 10 km freestyle 2023 Ostersund 18 km classical Wheelchair racing World Marathon Majors 2021 Berlin Marathon

Personal life

Rocha is from Paraná, Brazil.^[1] At the age of 15, Rocha was injured in a car accident, and became paraplegic.^[2] She studied physical education at the University of Western Santa Catarina.^[3] Rocha is married to Fernando Orso, who is also her coach.^[2]

Wheelchair racing career

As of 2017, Rocha had won the Saint Silvester Road Race on four occasions.^[1] In 2015, she won the 100 metres, 400 metres and 800 metres events at the Jogos Regionais do Estado de São Paulo (Regional Games of the State of São Paulo). Later in the year, she finished third at the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon in a Brazilian national record time of 01:49:37.^[4] She competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, finishing ninth overall in the 1500 metres T54 competition^[5] and 10th in the marathon T54 event,^[2] after falling away from the main group after 18 kilometres (11 mi) of the race.^[6] She went out in the heats of the 5000 metres T54 event.^[7] Rocha came 10th at the 2019 London Marathon.^[8]

Rocha came third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon.^[9][10] Later in the year, she came fifth at the 2021 London Marathon. She suffered a flat tyre a few minutes prior to the race start.^[9]

Skiing career

In 2017, Rocha competed at the Cross-Country Ski World Cup in Ukraine.^[1] Rocha was selected for the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She was the first Brazilian woman to compete at a Winter Paralympic Games,^[1] and was the country's flagbearer at the Parade of Nations.^[3][11] At the Games, she finished 12th in the 5 km sitting event,^[12] 15th in the 12 km sitting event^[11] and 22nd in the qualification round of the 1.5 km sprint classical sitting event.^[13] She was also part of the Brazilian team that finished 13th and last in the 4 x 2.5 kilometre mixed relay; she competed in two legs of the event.^[14]

Rocha finished third in the 5 km event at the 2021 Paralympic Ski World Cup event in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.^[15] In October 2021, she competed at the Paralympic Rollerski Championship.^[16] In January 2022, Rocha came fourth in the 15 km sitting event at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships.^[17]

Rocha qualified for the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, China.^[17] Rocha and Cristian Ribera were Brazil's flag bearers at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Parade of Nations.^[18] She came seventh in the 15 km sitting event,^[19] and 10th in the 7.5 km sitting event.^[20] She was fifth in her semi-final at the 1.5 km sprint sitting event, and did not qualify for the final.^[21]

At the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships, Rocha won the sprint freestyle race, and finished third in both the 10km freestyle and 18 km classical events.^[22]

References

1. (in Portuguese). Brazilian Paralympic Committee. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
2. "ALINE WHO TRAINS FOR PYEONGCHANG AND WHO NEVER GIVES UP". Daily Skier. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
3. "Aline dos Santos Rocha". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
4. "Paulo Pinheiro homenageia paratleta Aline Rocha". ABC do ABC (in Portuguese). 19 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
5. "Conheça Aline Rocha, primeira brasileira a disputar os Jogos Paralímpicos de Inverno" (in Portuguese). ESPN. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
6. "Paranaense conhece neve após a Rio 2016 e sonha com Jogos de Inverno". GloboNews (in Portuguese). 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7. "Evolução rápida e pioneirismo: Aline Rocha é a mulher brasileira em PyeongChang". GloboNews (in Portuguese). 8 March 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
8. . Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
9. "Sisay Lemma e Joyciline Jepkosgei vencem a Maratona de Londres". GloboNews (in Portuguese). 3 October 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
10. "Swiss domination at the 2021 Berlin Marathon". World Para Athletics. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
11. "He only sees snow once a year: meet the youngest Winter Paralympian". The Guardian. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
12. Sitting results
13. Sitting Qualification results
14. "4 x 2.5 kilometre mixed relay" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
15. "Aline Rocha é bronze na Copa do Mundo de esqui paralímpico". Agência Brasil (in Portuguese). 3 March 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
16. . Nenroll. 22 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
17. "Aline Rocha e Cristian Ribera ficam próximos de medalha em Mundial no Para Esqui Cross-country". International Olympic Committee (in Portuguese). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
18. "Full list of flagbearers for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
19. "Women's Long Distance Sitting - Results". paralympic.org. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
20. (PDF). results.beijing2022.cn. 12 March 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
21. "Women's Short Distance Sitting - Semifinals Results". paralympic.org. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
22. "Aline Rocha conquista 3a medalho no Mundial de Esqui Paralímpico". Agência Brasil (in Portuguese). 28 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.