Paralympics Day 1 Wrap-Up: ParalympicsGB glitters with six medals on first day of competition

As a devoted follower of the Paralympics, I must say that the performances of Team Great Britain at Paris 2024 have left me absolutely awestruck! The resilience and determination displayed by our athletes are nothing short of inspiring.

Glancing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic medal standings, China is in the lead with a grand total of 4 gold medals. Following closely behind, however, is Team Great Britain, who have secured a total of 6 medals, with 2 being golden ones, achieved by ParalympicsGB. Now, let’s explore some of the rising talents gracing the 2024 Games.

Competition is going swimmingly

27-year-old swimmer Tully Kearney faced a tough road to these Paralympic Games. After enduring a head injury last year that affected her memory and made her question her future in sports, she was given new hope when she was reclassified for the Games. Determined to bring home a gold medal after winning silver in Tokyo’s S5 200m freestyle, Kearney persistently chased down her Ukrainian rival, Irina Poida, eventually finishing just over half a second ahead. Overjoyed with this achievement, Kearney expressed her delight at accomplishing this feat.

To be able to get here means a lot to me. Even a few weeks ago we weren’t sure if I was going to come out and compete or how many events I would do. I wanted redemption and I’m just absolutely ecstatic and a bit speechless.
Tully Kearney

19-year-old Poppy Maskill claimed the initial gold medal for Team GB at the Paralympic Games, setting a new world record in the S14 100m butterfly event.

Earlier in the day, she was the quickest during her qualifying races, but she truly amazed everyone with her extraordinary speed during the finals. The new world record for this event is shared by Olivia Newman-Baronius, a fellow member of ParalympicsGB, and Valeriia Shabalina, a Russian athlete competing under the Neutral Paralympic Athletic team. She expressed that it’s surreal and strange to be the first gold medalist for her team, stating that “This achievement gives me an incredible boost in confidence.”

In the men’s events, the silver medal for the S14 100m butterfly went to William Ellard. He began competitively swimming just two years ago, but only missed the gold by fractions of a second. He lost to Denmark’s Alexander Hillhouse and remarked that “I didn’t think I’d be happy with a silver medal but I’m a really good friend with Alexander and I’m delighted for him.”

“One of those things”

In a surprising turn of events, the first medal for Team ParalympicsGB at the games was a silver one earned by the cyclist who won it. This achievement went to Daphne Schrager in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual event, where she finished second behind Xiaomei Wang from China.

In the competition of her C4-5 500m time trial, world record holder Kadeena Cox experienced a fall and couldn’t continue with her race afterward. It was Kadeena’s victory in Rio 2016 that prompted Schrager to switch sports from track sprinting to cycling.

Schrager was awestruck as Jackie Chan, a distinguished ambassador for the International Paralympic Committee, awarded her with a medal. The journey that led to this moment, beginning anew, left her with strong emotions. She acknowledges one misstep: “I vowed not to cry on the podium in front of my mum, but I ended up crying – one of those promises that didn’t hold.”

Team Great Britain’s Steve Bate, aged 47, along with his tandem partner Chris Latham, also received silver medals in cycling. After considering retirement in 2022, Bate decided to continue and now reflects on this achievement as the fruit of nine months of intense work and a collective team effort. This is his fifth medal he has earned in total.

Serving up bronze

In simple terms, Team Great Britain secured its initial bronze medal at the Games in the category of Para Table Tennis, specifically in the Women’s Doubles – WD14 competition.

14-year-old Bly Twomey from Great Britain, the youngest table tennis medalist for the country, teamed up with 30-year-old Fliss Pickard. Despite her young age, there were no obstacles in their impressive 3-0 quarterfinal victory against Norwegians Nora Korneliussen and Jenny Helene Slettum. Unfortunately, they fell short to Chinese competitors Wenjuan Hong and Yucheng Jin later that night, thus missing out on the chance to compete for the gold medal.

These bronze medalists both have cerebral palsy.

Congratulations to the victors of Day 1 and we look forward to what comes next.

2024-08-30 11:32

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