This documentary follows David Grachat, a Paralympic swimmer from Portugal who has a congenital malformation in his left arm. It shows his daily training routines, competitions, and the challenges of being a high-level disabled athlete. David's goal is to represent Portugal in the S9 class of Paralympic swimming. The film documents his training, including routines in Lisbon and altitude training in Spain, as well as his experiences competing in Germany and at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. It aims to provide insight into the world of adaptive swimming through David's story.

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SYNOPSIS
In the past it was a therapy, today is a passsion.
The fact of having a congenital malformation in the
left arm did not stop David in the fight for moments
of glory.
What does it take to be a high level paralympic
swimmer?
In “S9 – David Grachat” we follow the daily life, the
difficulties, the joys, the anguishes and anxieties that
transformed a disabled youngster in a high-perfor-
mance athlete.

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IN THIS FILM...
It is intended in this documentary, show through
David Grachat the universe of adapted swimming.
All the routines, trainings stages and competitions
of David. As a mirror of other athletes not only in
Portugal, but around the world who dedicate much
of their lives to sport at the highest level.
"That means having a responsibility, a commitment
with the club, with the coach and with his country"
Carlos Mota - Coach
"I can't afford to have a life like a regular
young man... and what have I gained with it?
I've gained a lot".
David Grachat
And to David, the "win", is not just the medals and
records. In "S9-David Grachat", we see that there's
something else that motivates him to train daily to
represent Portugal in the S9 class of Adapted
Swimming.

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SCENES FROM THE FILM...
In Lisbon (Portugal) we start to follow the day-to-day
training routine of David. In the Complexo Desportivo
do Jamor swimming pools or the Gesloures ones,
where David trains daily, at the pools and at the gym.
Daniel Marinho, aquatic propulsion researcher ex-
plains how the physical characteristics of David afect
his efficiency in the different swimming techniques.
At the Berlin Swimming Meeting (Germany), David
and other members of the Portuguese National
Team socialize with their friends from the Brazilian
Adapted Swimming National Team.
During the altitude training stage at Sierra Nevada
(Spain), we understand David as a person and the
conditions and objectives of this type of training.
Although the documentary doesn't focuses on his
medals and records achieved, David gives us his
testimony of how he lived some unforgettable mo-
ments at the Beijing Paralympic Games (2008).

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CREW
Felippe Goncalves (Producer, Director and Editor) was born in
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1987. He is of portuguese descendance
and he emigrates to Portugal with his parents at the age of thirteen.
In 2006 he finishes the technological course of IT, although later he
abandons this field to start learning about filmmaking.
In 2011 as a final project of the degree in Cinema from the University
of Beira Interior (Covilha), he directs the documentary "S9-David
Grachat". In the same year was the responsible for the production
of short film "Caloira" by Cristiano Guerreiro.
Goncalo Franco (Photography Director) was born on the 19th
of March 1990 in a mountain town in central Portugal (Covilha). At
eighteen he decided to pursue his studies in the Film area, diverging
from his academic path until then. At the local university (University
of Beira Interior) he obtains the degree, working mostly as a Director
of Photography both in Documentaries and Fiction films.
As part of his portfolio we can see projects like Matriz (directed by
Rui Oliveira), S9-David Grachat (directed by Felippe Goncalves)
or Caloira (directed by Cristiano Guerreiro).
Cristiano Guerreiro (Sound Director) was born in Faro in 1990.
He studied Visual Arts during 3 years. He learned to play guitar at
15 years of age and during some years devoted himself to music.
Was cameraman in the videoclip "The Elevations Begins" from Hod-
less. In 2011 he finished the degree in Filmmaking at the University
of Beira Interior with the short film "Caloira" (as Director) and the
documentary "S9-David Grachat".

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