Their trip, part of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) preparation programme for the Paralympics, saw Odair Santos, Samuel Nascimento, Carlos Santos, Osivan Bonfim and Tito Sena (pictured top) make the transatlantic trip three weeks before the start of the Games.

Of the quintet Santos and Sena will lead the Brazilian charge for track and field medals this summer.

Odair Santos (pictured below) is a T12/13 distance runner who has competed at all distances from 800 metres to 10,000m.

He has won six Paralympic medals previously but never gold, whilst Sena is a silver medallist from Beijing 2008 in the T46 marathon.


They will remain in Spain until August 28, the day before the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics.

More training phases and increased numbers of monitoring personnel, as well as new equipment, have been provided in order to help Brazil have a successful Paralympics.

The athletes join a number of Brazil's swimmers, who are already in Sierra Nevada undergoing preparation for the Games.

Brazil are taking this summer's Paralympics particularly seriously as they look to build ahead of the next Summer Games, which they host in Rio in 2016.

In Beijing four years ago Brazil were ninth in the medal table having taken 17 golds.

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