page_title: Cyprus at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
section_title: Athletics
hierarchical_section_title: Cyprus at the 2016 Summer Paralympics / Athletics
caption_attribution_description: English: Antonis Arestis at the start of the 400m T46 final race for the London 2012 Paralympics. Photo by Selene Alexia.
context_page_description: Cyprus sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the island country's eighth consecutive appearance in a Summer Paralympiad having made its debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics. The Cypriot delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: sprinter Antonis Aresti and short-distance swimmer Karolina Pelendritou. Aresti placed sixth overall in the men's 400 metres T47 event and Pelendritou came fourth in the 100 metres breaststroke SB13 competition after losing the bronze medal by 20 cm in the final.
context_section_description: Antonis Aresti was born on 15 February 1983. At the age of three, he lost the full use of his left arm when he was struck by a car while crossing the road in Cyprus and was left with three severed nerves. This led Aresti to take up sprinting and made his international debut at the 2006 Dutch World Track and Field Championship. These Rio Paralympics were his third consecutive appearance in the Paralympic movement after representing Cyprus at the 2008 Summer Paralympics (two silver medals) and the 2012 London Paralympics. Aresti is classified as T47. He qualified for the Games since his 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships performance of 50.55 seconds in the men's 400 metres T47 was 0.25 seconds faster than the "A" qualifying standard for that discipline. Aresti stated to the Cyprus News Agency that his goal was to reach the final of his event and then win another Paralympic medal. On 16 September, he competed in the heats of the men's 400 metres T47 event. Aresti was drawn into heat one, finishing in a time of 50.42 seconds, third out of eight athletes. His time was eighth fastest overall and this allowed him to proceed to the next day's final. There, Aresti finished in sixth position out of eight sprinters in a time of 50.07 seconds.
  Men's Track
caption: Antonis Aresti (pictured at the 2012 Summer Paralympics) represented Cyprus for the third time in his Paralympic career in athletics.
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