For athletes in most sporting disciplines, representing their country at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games will be the supreme moment of their competitive careers.

But for three women at Rio 2016 – Natalia Partyka of Poland, Melissa Tapper of Australia and Iran's Zehra Nemati – the Olympic Games in August were just the opening act of three extraordinary individual performances.

All three athletes will be back in Rio to September to compete for their countries in the Paralympic Games. 

The three women all have good chances of winning a medal in Rio in September. Just as importantly, they have already shown that the world's elite Paralympians really can compete on an equal footing with their counterparts from the Olympic world.

Champion

Since her appearance at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Natalia Partyka has become a sporting icon in her home country of Poland. The 27-year-old reached the last 32 in the Olympic Games in London and followed up that achievement by winning singles gold in the Paralympic Games; her third consecutive Paralympic gold.

Natalia Partyka's unique serve has made her a force to be reckoned with in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Photo: Getty Images/Rob Carr)

Born without a right hand and forearm, Partyka cradles the ball in a nook at the edge of her forearm for the throw. Her power of spin makes it incredibly difficult for opponents to follow the ball's trajectory, whether they are able bodied or impaired. At Sydney 2000, she became the youngest person to compete in a Paralympic Games, aged just 11.

At Rio 2016 she has already competed in Poland's Olympic table tennis team and will be a heavy favourite for gold in the Paralympic singles event.

Paralympic table tennis legend Natalia Partyka targets first Olympic medal at Rio 2016 Games

Flagbearer

Zahra Nemati not only competed in the Olympic Games in Rio, but was also chosen to be Iran's flagbearer at the spectacular opening ceremony in the Maracanã. As the first Iranian woman to win gold at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games, Nemati is an inspiration to the country's women and to Muslim women in general.

 Nemati competed in the Olympic archery events in the Sambódromo earlier this month (Photo: Getty Images/Quinn Rooney)

Originally a black belt in taekwondo, Nemati lost the use of both legs in a car accident when she was 18 and switched to archery. A gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the 31-year-old competed in Rio 2016 as an Olympian and aftewards had this message for people around the world who have an impairment: "Don't let disability defeat you."

Paralympic icon Zahra Nemati targets spot in Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Paralympian Zahra Nemati makes Archery history

Making history

Melissa Tapper will be Australia’s first athlete to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In August, the 26-year-old represented the country in the Olympic Games in both the singles and team events in Rio.

Tapper, who was born with Erbs Palsy – nerve damage limiting movement in her arm – finished fourth in the London 2012 Paralympic table tennis competition. At the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games she won a bronze medal as a part of the Australian women’s team. She now has a good chance of a Paralympic medal in Rio.  A showdown with Partyka would be a unique moment of sporting history.

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