Highlights from the Opening Day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Sports John Brightwater August 31, 2024

Highlights from the Opening Day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games – August 29, 2024

The inaugural day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games concluded with a blend of joy, surprises, triumphs, and disappointments, encapsulating the essence of athletic achievement and resilience on August 29th. The spotlight was on the French Para-swimming team, which delivered exceptional performances. Notably, Ugo Didier succeeded in the 400 m freestyle S9 event, clinching the coveted gold medal in a breathtaking showdown against Italy’s Simone Barlaam. Shortly thereafter, Alex Portal earned a silver medal in the 100 m butterfly S13 event, narrowly losing to Ihar Boki, yet generating excitement among spectators at the Paris La Défense Arena.

Further achievements for France included a silver medal awarded to Marie Patouillet in the women’s C4-C5 500 m time trial at the Vélodrome national in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, marking the nation’s third medal of the day and its first in these games.

In Para table tennis, the French men’s doubles pair of Fabien Lamirault and Julien Michaud exhibited remarkable skill, advancing to the semi-finals after overcoming Poland’s Rafal Czuper and Tomasz Jakiczuk in a nail-biting 3-2 finish, securing themselves a guaranteed medal in the MD4 men’s doubles category. Additional pairs from France demonstrated competitive prowess as they reached the quarter-finals in their respective events.

Conversely, the day brought disappointment for French Para taekwondo athlete Bopha Kong, who, despite his achievements as a four-time world champion, was unable to secure a medal due to a recent knee injury that impeded his performance, resulting in significant losses in both of his bouts. However, the day featured an inspiring narrative as Zakia Khudadadi, representative of the Paralympic Refugee Team and a member of the French training group, captured a bronze medal in the -47 kg category, showcasing resilience and determination.

The Para archery ranking rounds at Les Invalides unfolded in an atmosphere devoid of spectators. Nonetheless, the archers achieved remarkable feats, setting two world records—attributed to Sarka Pultar Musilova in W1 and Oznur Cure Gidi in Compound Open—and establishing three new Paralympic records, including those by Zhang Tianxin in W1, Guillaume Toucoullet in Classical Open, and Ai Xinliang in Compound Open.

As the first day of competition concluded, China continued its dominance, leading the medals table with four gold medals, thus maintaining its esteemed position in the Paralympic movement since the Athens 2004 Games. France currently stands fifth in the medal rankings, with one gold and two silver medals to its credit.