Tigist Mengistu made history at the 2020 Paralympics when she became the first-ever Ethiopian para-athlete to win a gold medal. She took first place in the T13 Women’s 1500-metre race at the Games in Tokyo (which, confusingly, were actually held during the summer of 2021 due to the 2020 pandemic). It was a stunning victory for Mengitsu in what was her first major world tournament, and only the second international tournament she’d ever competed in. She won it in style, finishing a full seven seconds ahead of her nearest rival.

Mengistu was born in March 2000 and is visually impaired. Her first major international competition came in March 2021 when she won the Tunis Grand Prix. Just five months later, she was in Tokyo seeing off all her rivals to secure the first-ever Ethiopian gold medal since the Paralympics began in 1960.

Despite her history-making success, Mengistu remains somewhat enigmatic, but she will doubtless be in Paris in 2024 to defend her gold medal.