Art, obsession, and identity
The Croatian table tennis athlete made her Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
The Brazilian para table tennis athlete competed in both the 2016 and the 2020 Paralympic Games, where she won bronze and silver medals.
Paović suffered a car accident in 2009. In 2016 she participated in her first Paralympics in Rio, where she won gold.
Israeli judoka Michal Feinblat competed at the 2004 Games in Athens. After suffering an injury, she joined her country's para-rowing team and competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Melissa Tapper was also present at the Paris 2024 Olympics and is competing in the 2024 Paralympics too.
In 2024, Bruna Alexandre became the first Brazilian athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
The German discus thrower made her Olympic debut in the 1992 Games in Barcelona. In 1996 she won gold in Atlanta. Wyludda also participated in the 2000 Games in Sydney.
In 2012, Nemati became the first Iranian woman to win a gold medal at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games. She went on to compete in both the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In 2016, the Australian table tennis player became the first Australian athlete to qualify for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.
The Iranian archer has competed in both Olympic and Paralympic Games. She has won three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in Paralympic Games.
Following a leg amputation, Ilke Wyludda became a Paralympian athlete. She participated in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Puch suffered an accident in 2008 and became paraplegic. In 2012 he won gold at the London Paralympics, competing for Austria.
The Austrian-Croatian equestrian competed for Croatia at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
The visually impaired athlete won gold at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics. In 2008, Legnante also participated in the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Assunta Legnante is an Italian shot putter who's competed in both Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The South African sprinter competed at both the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games. He won gold in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Paralympic Games.
Pistorius made his Olympic debut in London 2012, becoming the first amputee runner to compete at the Games.
The South African swimmer has competed in both Olympic and Paralympic Games. Natalie du Toit made her Olympic debut in Beijing 2008, where she finished in 16th place.
Natalie du Toit's Paralympic record, however, is truly impressive. Throughout her career, du Toit has won a whopping 13 gold medals! She also made history by becoming the first athlete to carry the flag at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the same year: 2008.
Natalia Partyka was also present in five Olympic Games. At Beijing 2008, she became the first table tennis player in history to compete in both the Paralympic and Olympic Games.
After suffering a motorcycle accident, which left him with an amputated leg, Fagone became a Paralympic hockey player and wheelchair curler. He went on to participate in sled hockey at the 2006 Turin Games. He then returned to the Paralympic stage at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics.
The Olympic and Paralympic resume of Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka is pretty impressive. Partyka participated in six Paralympic Games, where she won nine medals in total, six of which were gold.
Runyan participated in the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, and in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where she became the first legally blind athlete to compete. Marla Runyan returned to the Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens.
Orazio Fagone used to be a short-track speed skater. The Italian athlete competed in the 1988, 1992, and 1994 Winter Olympics.
American track and field athlete Marla Runyan not only competed in both the Paralympics and the Olympics, but she has also won five gold medals.
Paola Fantato won multiple medals, including five gold! Fantato also participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, becoming the first athlete to compete at a Paralympic and Olympic Games in the same year.
Former Italian archer Paola Fantato contracted polio when she was a child and became a wheelchair user. She was a hugely successful Paralympian, competing in five consecutive Paralympic Games from 1988 to 2004.
Belgian sports shooter Sonia Vettenburg competed at two Paralympic Games (1984 and 1988) and in the women's 10-meter air pistol event at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Sources: (International Paralympic Committee) (Olympics.com)
See also: Athletes to look out for at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games
Szekeres suffered an accident in 1991 and then started to compete in wheelchair fencing. He went on to win multiple medals, including gold at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta.
Neroli Fairhall was an archer from New Zealand. Fairhall made history by becoming the first paraplegic ever to compete in the Games.
Hungarian fencer Pál Szekeres won bronze at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul in the team foil event.
The Games in question were the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Fairhall also competed in Paralympic Games, including the 1980 Summer Paralympics.
Not many athletes get to call themselves Olympians or Paralympians, but even fewer have competed in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Some athletes became Paralympians after becoming disabled, but for others, the journey was the other way around. We're talking about athletes who started off as Paralympians and went on to compete in the Olympic Games later in their careers.
Regardless of how these athletes came to represent their countries in both Games, their achievements deserve to be known and celebrated. Click through this gallery and get to know them.
Athletes who competed at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Some of these athletes have won multiple gold medals
LIFESTYLE Sports
Not many athletes get to call themselves Olympians or Paralympians, but even fewer have competed in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Some athletes became Paralympians after becoming disabled, but for others, the journey was the other way around. We're talking about athletes who started off as Paralympians and went on to compete in the Olympic Games later in their careers.
Regardless of how these athletes came to represent their countries in both Games, their achievements deserve to be known and celebrated. Click through this gallery and get to know them.