Seven of the best stories from a brilliant Paralympics

The 2024 Paralympics in Paris have come to an end after 11 days of thrilling sporting action.

For Great Britain, it was a Games to remember. ParalympicsGB won 49 gold medals as part of a total medal haul of 124.

In and out of the sporting action, there were many moments that will live long in the memory, both for those in action and those spectating.

Here are a selection of those moments from the past week and a half in Paris.

Hewett’s gold and silver double

In wheelchair tennis, GB’s Alfie Hewett earned a gold and silver medal double in the final days of the Paralympics.

Hewett, 26, won his men’s doubles final with Gordon Reid on Friday – having lost three Paralympic finals across the previous two Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Upon victory, he waved his racquet in the air and embraced Reid following a win he described as the “stuff of dreams”.

He was back in singles action on Saturday and having suffered a groin injury in the opening game, and then lost the first set 6-2, came back to take Japan’s Tokito Oda to three sets.

Hewett, who only needed a men’s singles gold to complete a career set of accomplishments, won the second set 6-4, and then had a match point in the decider – but Oda came from 5-3 down to win it 7-5.

While Hewett would have hoped for two golds, his back-to-back medals and doubles gold are reward for a player who has now featured in five Paralympic finals.

GB’s Super Sunday

The first of two Sundays at the Paralympics produced 18 medals for ParalympicsGB, including 12 golds.

Not only was it their most successful day of the Games, but the most successful this century.

There was an even split across sports, with Para-rowing, Para-cycling, Para-athletics and Para-swimming all producing multiple medals, including a first of the Games for Hannah Cockroft in the women’s T34 100m final.

It was not just individuals who stood out, with GB’s golden Sunday including mixed double sculls, mixed coxed four, mixed team sprint and mixed freestyle triumphs.

Great Britain started day four with 11 golds and 26 medals, ending it with 23 golds and 44 medals.

Maskill heads up superb swimming for Great Britain in Paris

More than a third of ParalympicsGB’s gold medals – 18 out of 49 – came in the pool.

Great Britain’s young squad of swimmers included the duo of Poppy Maskill, 19, and Alice Tai, 25, who won five medals each.

For debutant Maskill in particular, it was a Games to remember. She entered five events and won three golds and two silvers across S14 individual events, as well as the mixed team freestyle relay.

There were two S12 golds for Stephen Clegg in 100m events – the backstroke and butterfly finals – adding to the three medals he won in Tokyo three years ago.

William Ellard, 18, won two golds and a silver, while Maisie Summers-Newton, 22, and Tully Kearney, 27, also provided Great Britain with a pair of gold medals each.

Britain won swimming medals on all 10 full days of the Paralympics, all but one of which included at least one gold.

Cox’s redemption after first-day fall

The opening day of the Games in Paris bought heartbreak from Kadeena Cox, one of ParalympicsGB’s star names heading into this summer.

In the women’s C1-5 500m time trial, where Cox was among the favourites, she struggled to get rhythm on the bike and fell off within seconds of her start, unable to finish the race.

Cox was helped off the track in tears following the crash, which she described as a “nightmare”.

Keen to make up for her singles disappointment in the team event three days later, she helped GB win gold on Super Sunday alongside Jody Cundy and Jaco van Gass in the mixed C1-5 750m team sprint final.

Cox’s gold was her seventh career Paralympic medal.

Stalwarts deliver as next generation show promise

ParalympicsGB’s squad consisted of a wide range of experienced competitors, as well as a look at the next generation, who delivered plenty of medals.

Sarah Storey extended her run as Great Britain’s most-decorated Paralympian. At 46, she won golds in the women’s C4-5 road race and C5 time trial, taking her to 19 Paralympic golds and 30 medals in total.

Hannah Cockroft, 32, competing at her fourth career Games, continued her perfect record of T34 gold medals, winning over 100 and 800 metres. All nine of her medals have been gold.

While Storey and Cockroft were among the familiar faces to win medals, there was also a look to the future.

On the same day, there were silver medals for the teenage duo of Iona Winnifrith and Bly Twomey. Winnifrith finished second in the women’s SB7 100m breaststroke final, while Twomey took Para-table tennis bronzes in the women’s singles and doubles events, the latter alongside Felicity Pickard.

Winnifrith, aged 13, and Twomey, 14, were among those to show that ParalympicsGB has a bright future.

Grinham wins gold while seven months pregnant

Jodie Grinham won gold and bronze medal in Para-shooting while seven months pregnant.

She was first Paralympian known to have been pregnant while competing at a Games.

“As long as I’m healthy and baby’s healthy, I knew we could compete,” Grinham said.

USA’s Otto has trip a memorable trip to Paris

Tracy Otto of the United States had a summer in Paris to remember.

Midway through the Games, she announced that not only she had got engaged to partner Ricky Riessl under the Eiffel Tower, but that she, like Grinham, was also expecting her first child.

The 28-year-old confirmed the news on Instagram, captioning the photo “may not have won a medal today but I am going home with something shiny”.

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