My Top 15 Moments From Swimming At Paralympics 2024
09/19/2024 09:22 AM
By Sofia Altavilla on SwimSwam
However I've decided not to fight the nostalgia—instead, I'm embracing it by recalling what I consider the 14 best moments in swimming at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
15. JESSICA LONG'S 30TH MEDAL
American legend Jessica Long arrived in Paris with a collection of 29 Paralympic medals, including 16 golds. Though she didn't round off the total in the 200 IM S8 final, the 1992-born swimmer soon met expectations by winning the 400 freestyle S8, bringing her Paralympic medal tally to 30, and doing so in tears. As if that wasn't enough, Long made sure to win the 100 butterfly S8 as well.
31. Paralympic. Medals.
14. GABRIEL ARAUJO'S SHOW
Brazilian sensation Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo, known as Gabrielzinho in his homeland, put on his own personal show at the Defense Arena. First in the pool, where he claimed three golds in the 200 freestyle and 50 backstroke S2, successfully defending his titles, and added another gold in the 100 backstroke S2, improving on his Tokyo silver. He also stepped up to compete in the 150 IM S3, setting a new S2 world record and finishing fourth. Gabriel Araujo didn't stop there—outside the pool, he continued his show with dancing, celebrations, and laughter, winning over the hearts of fans not only as an athlete but as a person.
13. ABBAS KARIMI AND ALI TRUWIT SILVERS
In the past weeks, I've dived deep into some fascinating stories and journeys of swimmers who were about to compete in the Paris pool. One of them is Mohammad Abbas Karimi. Born without arms in Afghanistan, he found safety in swimming, escaping violence, war, and the struggles of being a refugee. At the Tokyo Paralympics, he represented the refugee team, as he wasn't yet a US citizen. This year, after completing the necessary paperwork, he successfully competed at the US Trials and became a member of Team USA. It was wonderful to see him win two silver medals: in the 4×50 mixed freestyle 20pts and the 4×50 mixed medley 20pts.
Another journey I followed was that of Ali Truwit. The former Yale swimmer had her foot amputated last year after being attacked by a shark during a dive in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Determined not to give up on her passion, she embarked on an incredible rehab journey. In less than a year, she earned a spot on the US Team for Paris, where she went on to win two silver medals: in the 100m backstroke S10 and the 400m freestyle S10.
Impressive and inspiring.
12. VALERIIA SHABALINA'S EMOTIONAL MOMENT ON THE LANE
One of the most beautiful aspects of these Paralympics was witnessing swimmers’ emotions explode as they realized their dreams. In the women's 200 freestyle S14, Valeriia Shabalina never lost her lead for even a split second, brimming with confidence. Even at the finish, her expression seemed to say, "Exactly what I had to do. Great job." She climbed onto the lane marker to savor her moment of triumph. But in an instant, as the Parisian crowd of 17,000 roared, she realized the magnitude of her achievement and broke down in tears. Alone, higher than everyone else in the pool, atop her lane where she had just become a Paralympic champion, she couldn't hold back the tears. And she cried. A stunning image.
11. FEDERICO BICELLI'S GOLDEN FEAT
On September 2, 2024, Federico Bicelli stood on the blocks of the Defense Arena for the final of the 400 freestyle S7. Federico was the reigning world champion but had never won a Paralympic medal. He was in lane 6, reserved for those who qualified with the fourth-fastest time. After swimming 250 meters behind Argentina's Inaki Bainoff, Federico saw his rival begin to fade and launched his attack. By the 300-meter mark, the Italian had pulled even, and with one lap to go, he had already extended his lead by 0.5 seconds. In the final 50 meters, Federico gave everything he had left, and by the touch, the result was clear: gold, with nearly a two-second margin over silver medalist Andrii Trusov.
10. NEW PARENTS STEFANO RAIMONDI AND GIULIA TERZI LEAD ITALY TO THE TOP
First to dive in for Italy 4×100 free 34 pts relay was multi-time Paralympic champion Stefano Raimondi, whose 51.43 split gave Italy a solid lead. The four-time gold medalist in Paris handed off to his partner in life, Giulia Terzi. Giulia, who not only won three bronze medals at these Paralympics but also, together with Stefano, became a parent to their son Edoardo just a few months ago, passed the baton to Xenia Palazzo in 5th place. Xenia Francesca Palazzo gained one spot, navigating through the wake left by the men who swam earlier, and launched Simone Barlaam.
At this point, Italy was in fourth place, 15 seconds behind gold and 4 seconds off the podium, which was occupied by Canada, the USA, and China. But anchoring for Italy was none other than world record holder in the 100 freestyle S9, Simone Barlaam. With a blistering split of 51.85, Barlaam overtook all his competitors, taking the lead and touching the wall 0.4 seconds ahead of Australia to capture gold and set a new world record.
9. ELENA KRAWZOW OVERCOMING EVEN HERSELF
One of the most astonishing performances of the Paralympics came from a familiar face: Elena Krawzow. The world record holder in the 100 breaststroke SB12 arrived at the Defense Arena after having battled cancer, which she faced right after her Tokyo gold. And she went on to defeat even her former self, breaking her own 2019 record. The German, who had already won her heat with a Paralympic record of 1:03.19, secured her second consecutive Paralympic title with a 1:12.54, surpassing her previous time of 1:12.71 from five years ago.
An achievement remarkable enough on its own for its athletic merit, but the personal story behind it made it all the more extraordinary.
8. NICHOLAS BENNETT'S TEARS ON THE PODIUM
Okay, if you cry, I cry. But Nicholas Bennett's tears on the podium after winning the 200 IM S14 were truly heart-wrenching—in the best possible way. The Canadian, coached by his sister Haley Bennett-Osborne, had already climbed the podium twice: first with a silver in the 200 freestyle S14, and then with gold in the 100 breaststroke SB14. However despite the previous experience, when the Canadian anthem began to play for his second gold medal, he couldn't hold back his tears, showing the depth of his emotions in the face of such an incredible achievement.
7. ALEXANDER HILLHOUSE'S FINAL 25M IN THE 100 BUTTERFLY S14
Personally, I think this was one of the most thrilling races of the Paralympics. Alexander Hillhouse's comeback reminded me a bit of Kristof Milak's Olympic comeback in the 100 butterfly. At the 50-meter turn, Alexander was out of medal contention, sitting fourth and about 0.6 seconds behind his friend and rival William Ellard. But thanks to an incredible second lap, the Dane pulled himself back into the race for the podium. A quick glance during a lateral breath showed him where Ellard was—and in that moment, he knew he could do it. With an impressive final burst (his last 50 meters nearly a second faster than the others), he touched the wall first, setting a new Paralympic record of 54.61.
6. THE PORTAL BROTHERS' DOUBLE PODIUM
On Saturday, August 31st, during the third finals session in Paris, Alex Portal and his brother Kylian Portal lined up for the 400m freestyle S13.
Alex led the race for most of the time, holding off the multi-time champion Ihar Boki. But at the 350-meter mark, Boki hit the gas, overtaking him at the final turn to claim the Paralympic title in 3:58.37. Alex finished in 4:00.37, followed by Kylian, who competes in the S12 category, in 4:05.99. With a brilliant final 50 meters, Kylian secured his place on the podium, leaving Kyrylo Garashchenko out, marking a historic brotherly double.
At the finish line, the two brothers embraced, each prouder of the other. On the podium, Kylian, the younger brother, leaned on Alex, the elder, who wrapped him in his arms, letting him release his joyful tears.
“Every time I win a medal, I feel like Alex is prouder of me than he is when he wins one himself.”
5. ALEXA LEARY'S WORLD RECORDS
I might be a bit biased, having closely followed Alexa Leary‘s journey to Paris, but her world records in the 50m freestyle S10 were among the most thrilling moments to witness.
The 24-year-old, who only three years ago survived a near-fatal accident during a triathlon training session, entered the Paralympic world last year. Through a series of fortunate events and her fierce competitive spirit, she qualified for her first Paralympics, where she broke multiple records. In the 50m freestyle S10 heats, the Australian lowered her own record to 59.60, then improved again to 59.53 in the final, winning the Paralympic title.
4. SIMONE BARLAAM'S SUB-24 SECOND SWIM
After competing in the 100m freestyle S10, Simone Barlaam returned to his home category in the 50m freestyle S9. Day five was already magical for the Italian team, and Simone entered the final with a Paralympic record.
But he took it a step further in the evening session: Simone Barlaam became the first S9 swimmer to ever break the 24-second barrier in the 50m freestyle, clocking 23.90 and setting a new world record. He finished over a second ahead of the silver medalist.
To top it all off, his kind-hearted demeanor and contagious smile shone through. After hugging and congratulating all his competitors and thanking the Defense Arena crowd, he told the microphones:
“Finally, the Italian fans got to enjoy themselves (…) It's an incredible atmosphere because everyone cheers for you, no matter what country you're from.”
3. GUO JINCHENG, THE CHINESE TORPEDO
From my perspective, Guo Jincheng is the standout figure of these Games. The Chinese torpedo delivered performances that were nothing short of incredible. We've covered his story and journey here. With his unique technique, never breaking the water's surface tension, the 23-year-old—who lost both arms in an electrical accident at the age of five—won 4 golds and 2 silvers in Paris.
Among his most jaw-dropping achievements were his 50m freestyle races. First, in the individual event, where he set a new S5 world record of 29.33, becoming the first to do so using only his legs. However, his performance in the mixed 4x50m relay 20-point event was perhaps even more stunning. Guo swam the final leg in 28.79. Sure, he had a flying start, but when an athlete has no arms, how much of an advantage can a flying start really provide?
Absolutely speechless.
2. ANGELA PROCIDA'S WISE WORDS
In a summer filled with controversy over missed podiums, near-miss medals, and criticism of athletes' reactions, Angela Procida, already a bronze medalist in the 100m backstroke S2, became the voice of those "0.01s misfortune" just minutes after missing the 50m podium by 0.01s.
“It can happen to anyone. Sometimes you've got to experience the thrill of missing out by 0.01s. It happened to me; you can't always be lucky. (…) The Olympics are also 30 percent luck—you've got to seize the moment. Clearly, I didn't seize the right moment to swim fast.”
“Let's normalize the idea that we're not always at 100 percent. As athletes, we always try our best, but it's not easy to be at your peak at the exact right time. The effort is always there, but sometimes the result doesn't reflect the effort.”
1. ITALIAN GOLDEN DAYS
Finally, there are two days I both love and hate for Italy. Hate, because during these two finals sessions, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without risking missing an Italian podium. But of course, love, because our team was phenomenal. The fact that we almost got used to seeing the Italian flag raised over the Defense Arena is something we can't take for granted.
On the first day, our athletes immediately set the tone with 2 golds (Carlotta Gilli and Francesco Bocciardo), 2 silvers (Simone Barlaam and team captain Efrem Morelli), and 4 bronzes (Vittoria Bianco, Francesco Bettella, Angela Procida and Monica Boggioni). Believe me, there wasn't a second to close your eyes.
Italy didn't let a single day go by without adding at least two medals to the tally, and another day of extraordinary success followed. On day five, we heard Italy's anthem three times, thanks to Federico Bicelli, Simone Barlaam and Giulia Ghiretti. As if that weren't enough, there were 3 more bronzes from Giulia Terzi, Carlotta Gilli and Manuel Mateo Bortuzzo all in the same evening.
Those were just 14 of my favorite swimming moments from the Paris Paralympics.
What were yours?
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