Rio Paralympics ends on a poignant note

Rio closes a Paralympic Games that many feared would be a fiasco but which turned into a triumph, though marred in the final hours by the death of an Iranian cyclist

Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died during a mountainous descent in the Rio road race. Pic/AFP

Rio de Janeiro: Rio closes a Paralympic Games that many feared would be a fiasco but which turned into a triumph, though marred in the final hours by the death of an Iranian cyclist.

Eleven days of competition where China dominated the medals table, followed by Britain, Ukraine and the United States, ended yesterday with the last few events, including marathons and wheelchair rugby.

At the closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana, Brazilian officials were officially to hand over to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The upbeat mood in Rio was darkened by the death of Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, 48.

The athlete, who wore a prosthesis on his left leg, fell during a mountainous descent in the road race and died before he could be treated in hospital. Philip Craven, the International Paralympic Committee president, called the tragedy "truly heart-breaking."

Nevertheless, Rio was expected to put on a dazzling show at the Maracana, featuring Brazil's rich culture to celebrate a far better Paralympics than many had believed
possible.

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