Born in the city of Criciúma, in southern Brazil, Alexandre lost her right arm at three months old due to thrombosis. However, she never allowed this disability to affect her love for sport. To achieve her Olympic feat, the athlete had to accumulate a lot of hard work and discipline, two fundamental pillars in achieving a dream that seemed unattainable when she started playing table tennis at just seven years old. A local coach suggested she join the practices her brother attended, and she accepted the challenge.

Alexandre, who immediately felt drawn to this sport, proudly recalls that it was difficult at first to serve with only one arm, but she soon mastered the skill of tossing the ball with her left hand before serving with spin. "I managed to adapt after about a year. Now my serve is one of my strengths," says the Brazilian.

As a teenager, Alexandre discovered the Paralympic version of table tennis, which opened up new opportunities for her to continue progressing. In 2014, she won her first major medals, two bronzes in the individual and team events at the World Championships held in Beijing. This achievement catapulted her to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where she also won the same medals.

Already on this successful competition path, the following season she won gold at the World Championships in Bratislava and the Pan American Championships. With this impressive momentum, she arrived at Tokyo 2020 to claim silver in the individual event and bronze in the team event. Inspired by Poland's Natalia Partyka, the first player to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the same edition (Beijing 2008), Alexandre aimed to follow in her footsteps and finally qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In the French capital, the Brazilian athlete and her team faced South Korea, the strongest team in the world, in the first round of the Olympic tournament. Although Brazil did not progress beyond the last 16, Alexandre's performance was widely praised. "It wasn't the result I expected, but we are very satisfied with what we achieved. We didn't give up until the end," comments the 29-year-old athlete.

The path to this achievement has not been easy. The player still remembers the long hours of training she had to endure with no guarantee of success. "It took many years of trying. I knew it would be very difficult to qualify for the Olympics, but I did it and today I am here fulfilling this great dream," she expresses in an interview.

Alexandre's story embodies a powerful narrative of overcoming adversity and resilience, a testament that advocates for the inclusion of people with disabilities in any sport. "I believe my presence here can open many doors. I hope that one day a person with a disability can compete against someone with both arms, and that becomes the norm worldwide," the Brazilian athlete hopes.

With the Paralympic Games just around the corner, where she will compete from 28 August to 8 September 8, Alexandre has high expectations. "I hope to win my first individual gold in Paris and demonstrate that inclusion is possible at all levels of sport," she concludes, looking to the future.