After 11 days of competition in Paris, the Paralympics have come to an end. Australia won one medal on the final day, courtesy of opening ceremony flag bearer and five-time Paralympian Madison de Rozario, who claimed silver in the women’s T54 marathon.
The Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony took place in a rain-soaked Stade de France filled with 64,000 spectators, and featured performances from 24 DJs honouring the French electronic music scene. Australia’s flag bearers were Lauren Parker and James Turner. Parker won three medals in Paris across the triathlon and para-cycling events, and Turner won two gold medals on the track.
How did Australia go?
Australia finished the Paris 2024 Paralympics ninth on the medal table with a total of 63 medals — 18 gold, 17 silver, and 28 bronze. The result is Australia’s lowest since finishing 12th in Seoul in 1988. China topped the medal tally with 94 gold medals. The next-best-placed nation was Great Britain with 49, followed by the U.S. with 36.
Speaking to the media, Australian Paralympic Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin said: “We had foreshadowed that this [lower ranking] would potentially happen and that we needed to do something about it. [The government] finally listened.”
McLoughlin was referring to a Paralympic funding boost, announced as part of the 2024/25 Federal Budget, that will see $54.9 million of additional funding for Paralympic sport. McLoughlin suggested that the disparity between Australia’s Olympic team, which produced its best performance ever, and its Paralympic team was a direct result of funding inequality.
What they said:
Despite it not being Australia’s best Paralympics, the Games gave us some amazing moments.
Aussie para swimmer Tim Hodge summed up the spirit of the Paralympics: “The Olympics are the epitome of human excellence and the Paralympics are the epitome of human resilience.”
