After being impressed by the Olympic athletes in Paris, it is time to pay attention to exceptional Paralympic performances

The Paris Olympics may be over, but the memories of the athletes’ achievements will live on, from Mondo Duplantis breaking his own world pole vault record for the ninth time to Sifan Hassan winning gold in the women’s marathon after taking bronze in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres on the track earlier in the Games.

For many viewers, these kinds of performances are an inspiration to achieve more and strive for the better.

Now we have another chance to gain inspiration through the Paralympic Games.

Getting Started

The Paralympic Games originated after World War II, when Ludwig Guttman established a spinal cord injury centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Britain.

The restorative power of sport led to the development of the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, which saw 16 wounded servicemen compete in archery.

Following the growth of these games, the Paralympic Games were held for the first time in 1960 in Rome with 400 athletes from 23 countries.

In 1976, the Paralympic Winter Games were introduced. The Summer and Winter Games were held every four years, but they were not aligned with the host cities of the Olympic Games.

Since 1988 (Seoul, Korea), the Paralympic Games and the Olympic Games have been held in the same cities, following an agreement between the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.

Incredible athletes

Some of the achievements of para-athletes are truly remarkable.

George Eyser was an American gymnast and competitor in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri.

Eyser won six medals (three gold) in one day. The fact that Eyser achieved this success with a prosthetic leg sets him apart.

However, Eyser is not the only athlete with a disability who is achieving incredible feats and he is not the only athlete with a disability who competes in the Olympic Games.

Australian table tennis player Melissa Tapper has become the first Australian athlete to qualify for the Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Tapper has competed in three Olympic Games (2016-2024) and four Paralympic Games (2012-2024) and won a silver medal in the women’s event (class 9-10) in Rio in 2016.

In Paracycling, athletes with physical disabilities compete in three different disciplines (cycling, tricycling and handcycling) and are classified into one of five classes (C1-C5).

Athletes in these classes achieve impressive speeds on the track, approaching those of non-disabled athletes.

In the C1 class (for athletes with the greatest degree of disability), the average speed of the athletes is around 75% of that of the non-disabled cyclists, while the C5 class achieves an average speed of 90% during the 1 km track time trial.

On the track, the achievements of Madison de Rozario, who is participating in the Paralympic Games in Paris for the fifth time, are difficult to surpass.

With six medals (two gold, three silver and one bronze) heading into Paris, Rozario has already added a bronze medal in the 5000m T54 class to her list of achievements.

While many people will tell you that American swimmer Michael Phelps won 23 gold, three silver and two bronze medals, he is still a whopping 27 medals behind the greatest Paralympic athlete of all time. American swimmer Trischa Zorn competed in seven Paralympic Games (1980-2004) and won 55 medals.

Not only did Zorn win a phenomenal number of medals, but 41 of them were gold (12 in Seoul 1988). Remarkably, over 60% of the top ten most decorated gold medalists at the Summer Paralympics are para-swimmers.

The Paralympic Games are an opportunity for us to celebrate the diversity and success of athletes with disabilities.

In many cases, the performances of these athletes equal or exceed those of their Olympic colleagues.

This is especially true for track and field, where wheelchair world records are faster than Olympic records at every distance over 400 metres.

For strength sports, look no further than para-powerlifting, where disabled athletes hold nearly all of the world bench press records.

Unique events

Performance comparisons are generally possible because most Paralympic sports are also practiced at the Olympic Games.

However, some sports, such as goalball and boccia, are only practiced at the Paralympic Games.

Boccia is particularly known for its inclusivity, as it focuses on athletes with severe disabilities who are often underrepresented in Para sports.

Boccia athletes are divided into four sport classes — BC1 through BC4 — and compete in singles, pairs, and team events. Their goal is to throw, kick, or roll a set number of balls of varying hardness and texture as close as possible to a white target ball, known as the “jack,” using their arms, legs, or a ramp device (for BC3 athletes).

Australia has yet to win a gold medal in Boccia, but there is hope on the horizon. Dan Michel and Jamieson Leeson are planning to make history for the country in the sport.

As we watch these amazing athletes in Paris, we must remember that the Paralympic Games are not an afterthought or a follow-up to the Olympic Games. They are a world-class experience and a high-performance event that should be celebrated in its own right.