Image credit: Paralympic Australia website

After 11 thrilling days of intense competition, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have finally come to a close. With a top-10 finish and sizeable haul of 63 medals — comprising 18 gold, 17 silver, and 28 bronze — our team of Paralympians have done us proud once again, inspiring us with their impressive talent and unwavering resilience as they continue to defy all the odds. From record-breaking sprints and swims to successful gold medal defences, here’s a roundup of our favourite moments from Australia’s exceptional Paralympic campaign.

Para-swimming

Image credit: Paralympic Australia website

With 27 medals — 6 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze — out of the total medal tally coming from Para-swimming on top of a slew of records broken in the pool, it highlights how Aussies simply can’t be beaten in the water. Defending champion and the world record holder in the event, Tim Hodge, set a new Paralympic Record during his gold medal swim in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM9, while fellow gold-medallist Alexa Leary also broke the world record in the Women’s 100m Freestyle S9 after setting a new world mark in the heat. Together, the two also competed in the 34 points 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay alongside teammates, Jesse Aungles and Emily Beecroft, blazing ahead of the Netherlands to finish first and set a new Paralympic Record.

Para-athletics

Image credit: Paralympic Australia website

The second-best performing sport at the Paralympic Games, Team Australia took home 11 medals in the Para-athletics department, including 3 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze. Defending champions Vanessa Low and James Turner took home all 3 gold medals, with Vanessa completing a Paralympic threepeat with a new record in the Women’s Long Jump T63 and James securing his third and fourth gold medals in the 100m T36 and 400m T36, shaving 0.17 off his own record in the latter event to establish a new all-time world record of 51.54s. Paralympic veterans like Madison de Rozario won a bronze in the 5000m T54 event and silver in the marathon T54, while rising stars Mali Lovell and Dayna Crees scored bronze medals in 200m T36 and Javelin F34 respectively — offering an exciting preview of what’s to come.

Para-canoe

Image credit: Paralympic Australia

For his third Paralympic Games, the virtually undefeatable Curtis McGrath made it a hat-trick of wins with yet another gold in the Men’s Kayak Single 200m KL2 event, securing the fourth gold medal of his Para-canoeing career. His other teammates also completed their events with medals successfully in tow, with Dylan Littlehales winning silver in the Men’s Kayak Single 200m KL3 and Susan Seipel grabbing her third Paralympic Games medal with a bronze in the Women’s Single 200m VL2.

Boccia

Image credit: Jamieson Leeson

In a historic best for Australia, Daniel Michel and Jamieson Leeson secured twin silver medals in the individual category for the Men’s BC3 and Women’s BC3 respectively. Jamieson’s silver also makes her the very first Australian female to win a medal in the Paralympic Games-exclusive sport, a hallmark moment that shows much promise for the future of Boccia.