Join AUS Squad
Back To News
Across 11 days of fierce competition, Australia’s best Para-athletes have thrilled, elevated and empowered the nation, securing a top 10 finish on the medal table and leaving an indelible mark on the global Paralympic movement.
Led by exemplary co-captains, eight-time Paralympic wheelchair racing medallist Angie Ballard and four-time Para-canoe gold medallist Curtis McGrath, Australia’s 160 athletes prevailed amid rapidly rising standards in international Para-sport to win medals in nine of the 17 sports they contested.
The Australian Paralympic Team won 18 gold medals, 17 silver and 28 bronze, a haul of 63 medals in total, to finish ninth on the final table, ahead of major Paralympic powers including Japan, Germany and Canada, and one gold medal behind host nation France.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the way our athletes competed and represented Australia at Paris 2024,” Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin said.
“We saw medals, personal bests, fantastic team efforts and incredible individual performances. We also saw some heartbreaking near-misses, such are the highs and lows of high performance sport.
“Yet, throughout it all, our incredible athletes backed each other and showed warmth, humility and bravery. They used their platform to change perceptions of disability. They showed the world the best of Australian sport, the Australian spirit and the Australian character.
“Congratulations to each member of this proud team. You are now part of the incredible Australian Paralympic story.”
Paralympics Australia President Alison Creagh spoke of the many people who worked behind the scenes to prepare, deliver and support Australia’s athletes before and during the Games.
“I’m in awe of the expertise and dedication of our athletes, as well as the support team that sits behind them,’” Ms Creagh said.
“Years of planning went into ensuring that our Australian Paralympic Team would be kept safe, healthy and had everything it needed to perform at its best. This includes the whole spectrum of team delivery, such as operations, performance services, medical and media services.
“I’d like to thank all who played a part, from our world-leading staff at Paralympics Australia to our member organisations and colleagues across Australian sport, to our partners throughout government and business.
“Finally, but certainly not least, on behalf of the entire Australian Paralympic movement, I want to say thank you to the people of France, and particularly Paris and surrounds, for embracing the Paralympic Games with great enthusiasm. You have put on such an incredible show and have been great cheerleaders across all sports.
“Your efforts to make the Australian Paralympic Team feel welcomed in your spectacular city and the hospitality and generosity you have provided, are deeply appreciated. The partnerships we’ve built and the experiences we’ve had will live long in all our memories.”
AUSTRALIAN HIGHLIGHTS FROM PARIS 2024:
Australia finished ninth on the gold medal table and eighth on total medals won.
17 Australian team athletes won multiple medals. Six of those were dual gold medallists.
Alexa Leary (swimming), Callum Simpson (swimming), Lauren Parker (triathlon/cycling) and Tim Hodge (swimming) each won two gold medals and a silver medal.
Qian Yang (table tennis), James Turner (athletics) each won two gold medals.
Australia won medals in nine sports: boccia, athletics, canoe, cycling, rowing, swimming, table tennis, triathlon and wheelchair rugby.
ARCHERY:
Australia fielded its largest archery squad in 40 years and included Paralympic medallist Jonathon Milne, three debutants and two-time Para-canoe Paralympian Amanda Jennings.
Crowd favourite Taymon Kenton-Smith, delivered an outstanding performance in the men’s recurve open, defeating the world No.1 and earning a spot in the bronze medal match.
All team members progressed past the 1/16 elimination round in their individual competitions.
ATHLETICS:
Australia won 11 medals, including three gold, two silver and six bronze.
The three gold medals were won by defending champions: James Turner (400m T36 and 100m T36) and Vanessa Low (long jump T63). Turner set a new world record in the 400m and equalled the Paralympic record in the 100m. Low set a new world record in her event.
Rheed McCracken’s bronze medal in the 800m T34 meant he has won medals at each of the past four Paralympic Games.
After carrying the flag at the Opening Ceremony, Madison de Rozario won a bronze medal on the track (5000m T54) before, on the final day of the Games, she won a silver medal in the marathon T54.
BADMINTON:
Celine Vinot became the third Australian Paralympic badminton player and did not progress to the elimination rounds.
BOCCIA:
Australia’s two silver medals in boccia, to Dan Michel and Jamieson Leeson in their respective BC3 individual competitions, were the best result achieved in the sport since its introduction in 1984. Previously, Australia had won two bronze medals, one at Atlanta 1996 and one, by Michel, at Tokyo 2020.
CANOE:
All three members of the canoe team won medals.
Curtis McGrath won his third consecutive gold medal in the 200m KL2.
Dylan Littlehales won silver in a photo finish in the 200m KL3
Susan Seipel grabbed her third Paralympic medal at her third Games when she won bronze in the 200m VL2.
CYCLING:
Australia won a total of 11 medals, five on the velodrome, including three gold, and six on the road including one gold.
When Lauren Parker won the triathlon and the road race she became the first Australian to win in two different sports at the same Paralympic Games since Vic Renalson claimed gold in athletics and weightlifting in 1968 in Tel Aviv. She will also take home a silver medal for the road time trial.
Emily Petricola set a world record to win the C4 3000m individual pursuit and defend her Tokyo crown.
Amanda Reid also went back-to-back with her win in the C1-3 500m time trial.
Debutant Korey Boddington aka the ‘Flying Burrito’, won gold in the C4-5 1000m time trial and collected a second medal when he joined Alistair Donohoe and Gordon Allan to claim bronze in the team sprint.
EQUESTRIAN:
Australia fielded riders in four of Para-equestrian’s five classes.
Australian trio Lisa Martin, Stella Barton and Bridget Murphy all qualified to compete in the individual freestyle.
Paralympic debutant, Dianne Barnes, 66, announced she would retire after the Paris Games.
JUDO:
Taylor Gosens become only the second woman to represent Australia in judo since Desiree Allan at Athens 2004.
POWERLIFTING:
Hani Watson and Ben Wright became Australia’s first representatives in the sport since London 2012.
Watson finished sixth in the women’s over 86kg category. Wright finished seventh in the men’s up to 88kg powerlifting category.
ROWING:
Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers won Australia’s first gold medal in the sport, in the PR3 mixed double sculls. Rowing became a Paralympic sport in 2008.
Single sculler Erik Horrie added to his remarkable record, winning his fourth consecutive medal, taking bronze after winning silver at the London, Rio and Tokyo Paralympics.
SHOOTING:
London 2012 medallist Natalie Smith competed at her fourth consecutive Paralympic Games, while teammate Anton Zappelli featured at this third Games.
SWIMMING:
Australia won six gold medals, eight silver and 13 bronze.
Brenden Hall competed at his fifth Games, equalling the most Games by an Australian swimmer.
Tim Hodge set a new Paralympic Record in his gold medal swim in the 200m individual medley SM9.
Alexa Leary set a new world record in her gold medal swim in the 100m freestyle S9 after setting a new world mark in the heat.
Australia’s gold medal-winning 4x100m medley 34 points – Jesse Aungles, Tim Hodge, Emily Beecroft and Alexa Leary – set a new Paralympic record in the final.
Ben Hance set a new world record in the heat of the 100m backstroke S14 before winning gold in the final, defending his Tokyo 2020 title.
Lakeisha Patterson won silver in the 400m freestyle S9, her third consecutive Paralympic Games medal over the distance.
Rachael Watson won bronze in the 50m freestyle S4, her third consecutive Paralympic Games medal in the event.
TRIATHLON:
The 13-strong squad, consisting of 12 triathletes plus one sighted guide, was the largest since the sport was introduced at Rio 2016.
Lauren Parker won the gold medal in the PTWC classification. It was Australia’s first gold medal in triathlon since Katie Kelly and guide Michellie Jones (PTVI) won gold at Rio 2016, the first Games in which triathlon was included on the program.
Nic Beveridge (PTWC) became the first Australian to compete at three Games in the sport.
At 17 years and 137 days, Grace Brimelow (PTS4) became Australia’s youngest Paralympic triathlete.
Tom and Molly Goodman became the first sibling combination to represent Australia at the Paralympic and Olympic Games in triathlon and rowing respectively.
TABLE TENNIS:
Australia’s biggest team since 1968 won two gold and three bronze medals.
Qian Yang successfully defended her Tokyo 2020 women’s singles WS10 gold medal.
Qian Yang and Lina Lei won gold in the women’s doubles (WD20).
Melissa Tapper completed the Olympic-Paralympic double for the third time.
Danni Di Toro was the most capped Australian Paralympian at Paris, appearing at her 8th Games.
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL:
Australia’s men’s team, the Rollers, finished fifth.
The team beat Netherlands and Spain in the playoffs for 5th to 8th, both teams they lost to in the group stage.
Captain Tristan Knowles and Shaun Norris became six-time Paralympians.
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY:
The Australian Steelers won their first Paralympic medal since Rio 2016.
Among the bronze medal-winning team were eight players who won their first Paralympic medal.
It was captain Chris Bond’s third medal from four Games and Ryley Batt’s fourth from six Games. Andrew Edmondson and Ben Fawcett won gold in Rio 2016.
Australia’s squad included three females, the highest representation of females from any wheelchair rugby nation at Paris 2024. The other seven competing teams had a total of five female athletes from Germany (two), the United States, Denmark and Japan.
The bronze medal completes a historical full set of Paralympic medals for Australia – gold (Rio 2016, London 2012), silver (Beijing 2008, Sydney 2000) and bronze (Paris 2024).
Ryley Batt extended his record as the most experienced Australian Steeler of all-time, making his 353rd international appearance in the bronze medal match. Batt became a six-time Paralympian.
Chris Bond (250) and Andrew Edmondson (200) also marked career milestones during the Paralympics.
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS:
Ben Weekes became a six-time Paralympian, while Anderson Parker made his debut. Both players were defeated in singles.
By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Published: 8 September 2024
