Jerusa Geber dos Santos
Jerusa Geber dos Santos is a visually impaired Brazilian sprinter. Competing in the T11 classification, Geber has competed in five Summer Paralympic Games, winning two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. She is also a multiple World Championships and Parapan American medalist, taking ten medals over five tournaments.
Life
She was born with cataracts in 1982 and after having glaucoma she became totally blind when she was eighteen. When she was nineteen a friend suggested that she should take up athletics and in 2005 she first represented her country. She is supported by her husband, Luiz Henrique da Silva, who has been her guide in some T11 races.Career
She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, and two silver medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. She won a gold medal in Lima at the 2019 Parapan American Games and in the same year she won another at the World Championships in Dubai.She qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's 100m T11, and Women's 200m T11. She was one of the first dozen Paralympians cleared to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics postponed to 2021. Other early choices to be included were Thalita Simplício, Rayane Soares, Beth Gomes, Claudiney Batista, Cícero Valdiran and Thiago Paulino.
At the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, she won gold meals in Women's 100m and 200m T11. Her running guide was Gabriel Garcia, who competed in Men's 4 × 100 metres relay in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
In 2025, Geber won two gold medals at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, successfully defending her 100 m T11 title and winning the 200 m T11 final in 24.88 seconds. With these results, she became Brazil’s most-decorated athlete in World Para Athletics Championships history, surpassing Terezinha Guilhermina with a total of 13 career medals at the event.