Medals, Village haircuts and Origami cranes: Phelipe Rodrigues on his best memories from four Paralympic Games

Phelipe Rodrigues has at least one medal and mascot from each of the four Paralympic Games he has participated in. What the Brazilian Para swimmer treasures most of all, however, are the memories he has made.

From the wide-eyed wonder during his Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, to visiting the Athletes' Village hairdresser before stepping on a podium at London 2012, feeling the start blocks shake at his home Games in Rio, and receiving a kind gesture from the Tokyo 2020 volunteers, each Paralympic Games stand out for Rodrigues in their own way.

Still undecided about his participation at Paris 2024, Rodrigues is nonetheless sure of one thing – the next Games will be unforgettable.

“If you are new to Para sport, you should definitely watch some sports in Paris. You're going to be amazed and you're going to see what we are capable of,” Rodrigues told Olympics.com. “People definitely should watch that. Then they are going to see their lives in a different perspective and with a different point of view.”

Beijing 2008: Phelipe Rodrigues’ first taste of magic

Rodrigues turned 18 less than a month before making his Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, and was instantly swept up in the atmosphere of the world’s third largest sporting event.

The spectator stands were packed, the Athletes’ Village was full of colourful kits and avid pin collectors, and Rodrigues was about to race in the biggest five races of his life.

“It's different. It's magic,” he said. “I took part of different competitions before that, but not a single competition had the same level of emotion, experience. It was something very unique that I'm not going to forget for the rest of my life.”

Rodrigues' main goal at Beijing 2008 was to enjoy the Games experience as much as he could.

It was not until he won his first medal, a silver in the 100m freestyle S10, that the Brazilian swimmer felt the extra pressure that the Paralympics carried as well.

“I was literally just enjoying the moment and taking part in the Games to the point when the person handed me the medal and I felt the medal around my neck,” Rodrigues recalled. “I started to have a completely different feeling about that. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I'm not here just to take part in it. I'm actually part of it. It made me realise the meaning, the importance of the Games.”

London 2012: New milestone for the Paralympics and new haircut for Rodrigues

Rodrigues brought back two silver medals from his first Paralympic Games.

At London 2012, he not only upped his medal count, but also upgraded his style thanks to a visit to the Athletes' Village hairdresser.

“I was so focused in my training just before 2012 and I completely forgot to have a haircut before we travelled. And then we went to Spain to do a training camp and the training camp in Spain is quite far from everything and we spent like a month there,” Rodrigues said. “When I got into the Village, a week before the Games, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I need to have a haircut.'

“Pretty much you don't have to leave the village to do anything because they offer you everything you need, from the hairdresser to a massage.”

In addition to the perks of Village life, athletes enjoyed full stands at London 2012, which broke Paralympic Games records in terms of ticket sales, broadcast coverage and overall mass-market appeal.

Standing on the podium with his third Paralympic medal, and fresh haircut, Rodrigues felt the uniqueness of those Games first-hand.

“Every single day we had many, many people watching us. All the spectator stands were full and sold out," he said. "I remember just after one of my races when I got a medal there, one reporter asked me, ‘So what do you think about the people here, the British crowd?’ I was like, ‘It's actually unbelievable. I have never experienced anything like that before... Even us, people from a different country, feel so welcome and so warm from the British crowd and I literally cannot imagine being British right now.'”

Rio 2016: Making the stands rattle and the family cheer at the home Games

Rodrigues did get some insight into what it was like to be a British athlete at London 2012 as his then-girlfriend and future wife, Elizabeth Johnson, competed for the home team and won a bronze in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB6.

All the same, no amount of insight could prepare Rodrigues for the euphoric reception he would get at his own home Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“I cannot deny that Rio 2016 was the best experience I've ever had,” said Rodrigues, who not only took part in the swimming competition, but also read the Athletes’ Oath at the Opening Ceremony.

That magical atmosphere helped to propel Rodrigues to his best Paralympic performance to date. He finished the competition with four medals in the four races he swam.

Stepping onto the starting block for his last event, the men’s 4x100m medley 34pts, Rodrigues felt something akin to a minor earthquake.

“I was the last person to jump in the water in the whole swimming competition and, I'm not going to lie, I felt something that I will never feel again,” Rodrigues said. “I could feel the start block vibrating and I was like, ‘I'm sure I'm not nervous. What the hell is that?’ But it was the people yelling, supporting us. I get goose bumps every time I remember that moment, and that definitely pushed me over my limits to get the last medal for Brazil.”

Tokyo 2020: A gesture of friendship folded into an origami crane

There was no thunderous applause at the Tokyo 2020 Games, which were closed to spectators due to Covid-19 restrictions.

But even with the stands empty, Rodrigues still felt the warmth of the Paralympic hosts.

“We could see the Japanese people trying their best to cheer us and support us,” he said. “Every time they saw a bus full of athletes, they would do something for us like wave, yell and this kind of stuff. They would be at the entrance of the Aquatics Centre or by the exit of the Village, always to support us with messages.

"It was important, those little gestures from them at that time that made us realise that we are not by ourselves.”

Rodrigues responded in kind, learning some Japanese words and trading Games memorabilia with the locals.

Packed next to his bronze medal, the Brazilian swimmer left Japan’s capital with one of the origami cranes that Tokyo 2020 volunteers made during the Games. Three years on, that paper crane has defied the odds, surviving countless trips to the pool in Rodrigues' exercise bag.

“It's a little bit squashed, but it's still in my bag,” Rodrigues said. “I'm very impressed because I'm surrounded by water all the time, and it hasn't fallen apart yet.”

Paris 2024: The next big show is 200 days away

As memorable as the last four Paralympic Games were, Paris 2024 promises to stand out in its own way.

As with the Olympic Games, the Opening Ceremony will be held outside a stadium for the first time, while competitions are being staged at some of the French capital’s most iconic locations, such as the Grand Palais and Versailles.

And that makes even seasoned Games veterans like Rodrigues consider delaying their retirement from sport.

Sixteen years after making his Games debut, the 33-year-old admits it is still hard to resist the lure of the Paralympic gold rush.

“Even today [8 February], when I saw the medal release, I was like, ‘Oh my God, they are so beautiful,'” the four-time Paralympian said.