SEPT 12, 2024 | SPORTS | By Kole Petersen
The 2024 Paralympics took place in Paris, France, from Aug. 28 through Sept. 8. Over the 11-day, multi-sport event, 549 medal events were held across 22 different sports. Every sport was available live for the first time in Paralympic history, including the first live coverage for Para badminton, Para powerlifting, and shooting Para sports. The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games drew 22 million live viewers, and over two million event tickets were sold. Viewers worldwide tuned into the Games, marking the historic Paralympic Games.
And boy, did these athletes come to play.
So many incredible performances, comeback stories, inspiring moments, and both Paralympic and world records happened at these games that it would be difficult to recount them all. I wish I could highlight the efforts of every para-athlete who competed, but unfortunately, I only have room to talk about five of my favorite moments of the Paris Paralympics. I could not bring myself to rank them, but the last entry might be one of my favorite sports stories in a long time.
The Woodhalls’ Quest Completed
On Aug. 8, Tara Davis-Woodhall won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s long jump with an incredible leap of 7.10 meters, her first major international gold medal at an outdoor venue. She ran to the embrace of her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall (a double below-the-knee amputee), in a touching moment viewed by tens of millions of social media users.
A month later, Hunter Woodhall blew past the rest of the field in the 400m T62 final with 100 meters left to win a gold medal, his first gold at a major international championship. With the couple’s lifelong goals achieved, they embraced once more, culminating a rewarding chapter in a nearly perfect story. The Woodhalls plan to continue training together, competing together, and inspiring athletes, both able-bodied and disabled.
Shark Attack Survivor Swims to Glory
In May 2023, Ali Truwit and her friends were snorkeling in the turquoise waters of Turks and Caicos when suddenly a shark attacked Truwit and bit her lower left leg. She managed to swim the 70 meters back to her boat, and although she was swiftly rushed to the hospital and airlifted to the United States, her leg needed to be amputated. While this traumatic event would have prevented nearly anyone from getting near a body of water, Truwit, a lifelong swimmer, knew she needed to reclaim her love of the water.
She began her journey of gaining control back in her life by conquering her backyard pool. Three months after the attack, she competed at her first Para swimming meet; then in December, she won a silver medal at the U.S. Para Swimming National Championship. She broke two American records and won two silver medals in the S10 400m freestyle and the S10 100m backstroke at these Paralympics, an incredible comeback story of grit, perseverance and hope.
Mirrored Dominance
Most people are aware of the U.S. men’s basketball team’s dominance at the Olympic Games. In the last nine Olympic basketball competitions, the United States has won eight gold medals, an unprecedented victory streak. However, many people aren’t aware that our men’s wheelchair basketball national team is also incredible.
They won their third consecutive Paralympics gold medal, winning most of their games by double-digit margins, practically mirroring the success of their able-bodied counterparts. In the gold medal game against Great Britain, Jake Williams scored 26 points, captain Steve Serio scored 24 and Trevon Jenifer scored 14 on 71% shooting. While this winning team consisted of many veterans of the sport, the future nevertheless looks bright for this amazing program.
Breaking a Home Drought
Every time blind fútbol has been played at the Paralympics, Brazil has won the gold medal. Brazil has historically been a worldwide powerhouse in fútbol, with five World Cup and nine Copa América titles to its name, so winning its sixth consecutive Paralympic gold seemed inevitable.
However, fate had other plans. In the semifinals, Argentina shockingly beat Brazil 4-3, and Brazil didn’t have the chance to defend their gold medal for the first time since 2004. The fairy tales didn’t end there; after losing to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, the host nation of France won against Argentina 3-2 on penalties right underneath the Eiffel Tower, a poetic end to a shocking tournament.
A Countdown Ended Early
On his social media platforms, 19-year-old Ezra Frech had been counting down the days until he would win Paralympic gold, starting 100 days before the T63 (single-leg amputee above the knee) high jump competition would take place. While this countdown was intended to drive more attention toward Para track and field, it also motivated him to focus on his end goal of becoming a Paralympic champion.
His goal went slightly off the rails in the best way possible.
On day 99, in a race merely intended to be a warmup, Frech won gold in the T63 100-meter dash by 0.02 seconds in a nail-biting race. Rocketing from nearly last at the start to first by the white line, Frech was shocked by this result and celebrated his win.
“Don’t think there’s an ounce of complacency in my soul,” Frech said in an Instagram post. “Tomorrow night we complete the countdown and win gold again.”
Ultimately, he won the T63 high jump in Paralympic record fashion, accomplishing his initial dream and living through an entirely new one.
The 2024 Paralympics were historic in so many ways, from record viewership, social media attention, and live coverage of the athletic performances themselves. It was amazing to watch the games on major streaming platforms for the first time, and I cannot wait to see how parasports grow and evolve over the next four years.