Paris: The first medals were won at the Paris Paralympics on Thursday, with swimmer Ugo Didier collecting the host nation’s first gold in euphoric scenes at La Defense Arena.
Didier, who was born with clubbed feet and reduced use of his legs, won the 400m freestyle event in the S9 category and was roared home by French supporters in a manner that brought to mind the scenes when Leon Marchand took quadruple Olympic gold.
Didier, 22, timed 4min 12.55sec to finish a second and a half ahead of Simone Barlaam of Italy.
Medals were also on offer in track cycling, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo.
The action started too in archery, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, badminton, goalball — a form of football for the visually impaired but played with hands — and boccia, a version of bowls.
In the pool, Brazilian star Gabrielzinho also won gold. The 22-year-old, who has no arms or hands and his legs are atrophied, claimed the men’s 100m backstroke S2 title.
In men’s wheelchair basketball, reigning champions USA and the pretenders to their title, Great Britain, were quick to get their first wins.
The Americans had a hard-fought 66-56 victory against Spain while Britain, the bronze medallists three years ago in Tokyo, beat Germany 76-55.
Britain, who finished second in the medals table behind China at the 2020 Paralympics, made a winning start to the defence of their men’s wheelchair rugby title, beating world champions Australia 58-55.
Paralympic powerhouses China dominated the last Paralympics in Tokyo with 96 golds and have again sent a strong team. Chinese riders Zhangyu Li and Xiaomei Wang won golds in track cycling in early action in Paris.
Message of hope
French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open on Wednesday during a ceremony which took place in balmy weather — a far cry from the heavy rain which fell when the Olympics opened with a parade on the River Seine on July 26.
The 4,400 competitors from 168 delegations paraded into the arena as the sun set with host nation France entering last to a standing ovation from 30,000 spectators.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons said in a speech he hoped for an “inclusion revolution”.
“The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will show persons with disabilities what they can achieve at the highest level,” Parsons said.
“The fact that these opportunities largely exist only in sport in the year 2024 is shocking. It is proof that we can and must do more to advance disability.”
Neutral banner
Five French Paralympians, including 2020 gold medallists Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keita, then lit the already-iconic cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens before it rose into the sky.
Of the 35 venues for the highly successful Olympics, 18 will be used for the Paralympics including the ornate Grand Palais and the Stade de France.
Riding the wave of their Olympic team’s success, host nation France are aiming for a far stronger showing than the 11 golds they won in 2021, which placed them 14th in the medals table.
Ukraine, traditionally one of the top medal-winning nations at the Paralympics, have sent 140 athletes to compete in 17 sports despite the challenges they face in preparing as the war against Russian forces rages at home.
A total of 96 athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under a neutral banner but are banned from the opening and closing ceremonies because of the invasion of Ukraine.
