2024 PARIS PARALYMPIC GAMES
The 2024 Paralympic Games are almost here; the Paralympic flame has been lit and there are just days to go before the Paralympic swimmers take to the water at La Défense Arena. With 141 events taking place over the ten days of competition, there are many different storylines to follow at this gathering, but here are five of the biggest ones we have in mind before the competition begins.
THE HOME FACTOR
After the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were unable to host fans, it was exhilarating to hear the roar of the crowd at the Arena La Défense. The fans played a major role during the nine days of action at the Olympics, bringing energy to every session, as swimmers of all nationalities commented.
But understandably, the crowd was louder for the French swimmers. If they were watching TV, they didn’t even have to look at the screen to know when a French swimmer was on the block: the crowd let them know. The home crowd had plenty to cheer about, because French swimmers like Leon Marchand e Florent Manaudou They had outstanding races, harnessing the energy of the crowd as they swam.
The crowds should also be a big boost for the French Paralympic swimmers when they take to the water next week. The host nation has a roster of 14 swimmers, including Elodie Lorandiwho has five Paralympic medals, including a gold from 2012. Swimmers like Laurent Chardard ed Emeline Pierre hope to follow up their medals at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships by climbing onto the Paralympic podium for the first time. Then, there are the names of Alex Portal (1 silver, 1 bronze) and Ugo Didier (1 silver, 1 bronze) who have won a medal in Tokyo and are aiming to complete their medal tally with a gold in front of their home nation crowd.
WATCH OUT FOR WORLD RECORDS
The Paralympic Games are undoubtedly the biggest stage in Para swimming, but that hasn’t stopped athletes from going strong this season. There have already been 42 world records broken this year, including 16 during the four-day CITI Para Swimming Series in Berlin in June. All that early season speed could signal a potential wave of world records in Paris.
The 200 IM is the event with the most world records broken this year, as seven swimmers broke their own ranking records. The German Alexander Pott (SM2), the Australian Timothy Hodge (SM9), the Dutch Roger Dorsman (SM11) and the Canadian Nicholas Bennett (SM14) are the men who have broken world records. Gina Boettcher (SM2), Maisie Summers-Newton (SM4) e Daria Lukianenko (SM11) have conquered women’s world records.
But in events like the men’s 100 freestyle and 50 breaststroke, three men have reset world records this season. In Berlin, all three world records in the men’s 50 breaststroke were swum in the same final: Nelson Crispin Corzo(SB6), Carlos Serrano Zarate (SB7) e Engel’s advice (SB13) lowered the world record of their ranking, swimming 34.95, 31.96 and 28.54 respectively.
DEBUTANTS TRY TO IMPRESS
Even in a shortened Paralympic cycle, there have been a handful of new stars who have emerged at the 2022 and 2023 World Para Swimming Championships and who are about to make their Paralympic debuts.
Swimmers like Alexander Hillhouse (Denmark), Alexa Leary (Australia)William Ellard (Great Britain) e Olivia Chambers (United States) have already written their names in the world record books. Chambers set his 1500 freestyle S13 record (17:53.84) in 2023, while Hillhouse, Leary and Ellard have all set records this year.
After setting three world records at the 2023 World Championships, Hillhouse, the only man to swim for Denmark at the Paralympics, took both the 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly S14 world records this year. Ellard broke the 100 freestyle S14 record, then tied the 200 freestyle S14 record. Leary, a triathlete turned para swimmer, broke the 100 freestyle S9 world record in April.
Other rookies to keep an eye on are swimmers like Poppy Maskill e Noah Jaffe, who both won gold at the 2023 World Championships.
WILL CHINA’S MEDAL STREAK CONTINUE?
China has topped the medal table at the last three Paralympic Games, both in gold and overall medals. They began their reign in London and dominated at the Rio Games, winning 92 medals — including 37 gold — in the 152 events offered in the pool.
They came back to earth a bit in Tokyo, where they won 56 medals and beat the Russian Paralympic Committee 19 golds to 17. Liu Yu, Lu Dong, Ma Jia e Zheng Tao They all won multiple gold medals in Tokyo, and China brings another strong team to Paris.
With Russia and Belarus banned from the Games, the nations with the best chance of upsetting China are Ukraine, Australia and the United States, as they all finished in the top five in the medals table during China’s streak. Great Britain, which finished third in 2016, brings a star-studded roster to Paris. Italy, led by Simon Barlaamlooks strong; without the presence of China and Russia, he won the medal table of the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. In April, he held his own against Ukraine and retained the crown of European champion.
Another factor in the medal race is that there are 141 events scheduled in Paris, five fewer than at the Tokyo Paralympics.
PARALYMPIC MEDALLISTS RETURN TO GAMES AFTER INJURY
Big names like Alice Tai, Tess Routliffe e Morgan Stickney return to the Paralympics after dealing with injuries over the past four years. Tai and Routliffe, both medalists at the 2016 Paralympics, missed the Tokyo Games entirely due to their injuries.
Tai, who was born with bilateral talipes, had her right leg amputated below the knee in January 2022 after increasing pain in her foot, which led to her missing the Tokyo Paralympics. Routliffe, the 200 medley SB7 silver medalist in Rio, missed the competition after breaking her spine during weight training. They made their return to international competition at the 2022 World Championships, where they both medaled. They medaled again at the 2023 World Championships and look strong as they prepare to return to action on the Paralympic stage for the first time since 2016.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Paralympics were Stickney’s international debut. She won two golds, first beating her teammate Jessica Long in the 400 freestyle S8 and then teaming up with her, Hannah Aspen e Mikaela Jenkins to win the 4×100 medley relay by 34 points.
After Tokyo, Stickney had medical complications and now competes in the S7 classification. She won gold in the 100 and 400 freestyle S7 at the 2023 World Championships, breaking the world record in the latter. She reset the world record at the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Trials, shaving nearly three more seconds off the record in 4:51.50 and setting herself up nicely for another successful Paralympics.