Three visually impaired athletes, who were born as siblings of six children in the Tokyo Paralympics goalball boys, joined forces to aim for the top.
The three are the Belgian Vanhofe brothers, the eldest son Bruno, the second son Tom, and the fourth son Arne.
Born 38 years ago in 1983 as a six-child, he said that it became a big topic in Belgium at that time.
However, due to the effects of being born two months earlier than planned, the retinas of the three were not fully developed and became visually impaired.
When I was a kid, I used to play sports in my yard, but the three of them were the best at goalball.
This is a sport in which visually impaired players compete for points by alternately rolling a ball with a bell toward the opponent's goal with three people in one team.
Then, when Bruno participated in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and Tom joined from the 2012 London Games, Arne, who had been away from the competition to concentrate on his studies and work, returned after being inspired by the appearance of the two. This time, for the first time, all three of us have joined the Belgian national team.
Bruno, the eldest son, said to the tournament, "Being a six-child is not an achievement. Standing on the stage of the Paralympics is an achievement that we are proud of."
Belgium, which won the qualifying league in 1st place in the group, played against Lithuania, the gold medal of the previous tournament, in the quarterfinals held on the night of the 31st of last month on the 8th day of the tournament, and Bruno and Tom were the starting pitchers.
Belgium took the lead with Tom's goal, but the match was reversed with three consecutive goals scored by the opponent. After that, Belgium went on and off, and while his younger brother Arne cheered on his brothers from the bench, Bruno threw his body to prevent the opponent's shot, and Tom caught up by adding 2 points, but 4 pairs. I lost at 7.
The first Paralympic Games for all three brothers are over, but it seems that the bond between the three brothers has become even stronger, saying, "It would be wonderful to look back at the tournament at the family dining table."