In an official statement, the President of the Republic, Dilma Rousseff congratulated the Brazilian athletes who competed in the Paralympic Games in London. Read the full text of the statement below:

"On behalf of all Brazilians, I salute the valiant athletes who represented Brazil at the Paralympic Games in London which closed on Sunday. Thanks to their strength, determination and ability to exceed limits, we achieved an unprecedented seventh place, winning 43 medals - 21 gold, 14 silver and 8 bronze.

The unprecedented victory of Tito Sena in the marathon this morning, swimmer Daniel Dias increasing his total to six gold medals, and the triple podium in the 100 meter sprint with Terezinha Guilhermina, Jerusa Santos and Jhulia Karol are just some of the achievements in London that we can take pride in.

It is important to say, however, that every one of our Paralympic athletes in London, having won a medal or not, represents a personal story of struggle and overcoming the odds. They are an example to the entire country.

It also gives me great pleasure in these Paralympics to see the fruits of support from the Brazilian government to our sportsmen and women through the Athlete Scholarship program (Bolsa-Atleta). The program supports 156 of the 182 athletes of our delegation, many of them returning from London victorious with their medals. The Brazilian government will intensify the support to its athletes so that an ever greater number are able to train and dedicate themselves to sport.

We are proud of all of you, Brazilian athletes at the Paralympic Games."

12 September 2012