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Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
Sport

Paris Paralympics 2024: taking a closer look at 10 of the greatest summer Paralympians

  • On the track, in the pool, at the courts and tables, and on bikes and horses, these are the most accomplished Paralympians of all time

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Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias, who was born with malformed upper and lower limbs, won three bronze medals in Tokyo to add to the 24 medals he won at three previous Games. Photo: AP
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Some created singular unforgettable moments, most have won multiple medals across a series of Games, all have been pioneers.

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Here are 10 of the finest summer Paralympians.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson outside the Houses of Parliament. In London. Photo: Getty Images
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson outside the Houses of Parliament. In London. Photo: Getty Images

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson

Arguably Britain’s most famous Paralympian. Baroness Grey-Thompson, who has spina bifida, was a wheelchair racer and competed in five Games between 1988 and 2004. She claimed 11 gold medals, plus four silvers and a bronze, and was created a Life Peer in 2010.

Oscar Pistorius with the South African flag after he won the 400m – T44 final at the London 2012 Paralympics. Photo: AFP
Oscar Pistorius with the South African flag after he won the 400m – T44 final at the London 2012 Paralympics. Photo: AFP

Oscar Pistorius

Regarded as a true trailblazer, the South African double amputee known as “the Blade Runner” won six Paralympic titles and competed in the 400m at the London Olympics. He was released from jail on parole earlier this year after being convicted of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

 

Esther Vergeer

Dutch wheelchair tennis player Vergeer was Paralympic champion in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London, in addition to three golds and a silver in doubles. The 43-year-old also won 21 grand slam titles before retirement. She is the Netherlands’ Chef de Mission for Paris.

Natalia Partyka competed in table tennis at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012. Photo: AFP
Natalia Partyka competed in table tennis at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012. Photo: AFP

Natalia Partyka

Born without a right hand and forearm, the Polish table tennis ace is a six-time Paralympic gold medallist and has also competed in the Olympics. Partyka, 35, made her Games debut at Sydney 2000 aged just 11 and became the sport’s youngest Paralympic champion four years later in Athens.

 

Trischa Zorn

The most-decorated Paralympian of all time. American swimmer Zorn, who was legally blind until she received two artificial iris implants in 2003, won a staggering 41 golds across seven Games between 1980 and 2004. The 60-year-old claimed a remarkable total of 55 medals for Team USA.

Great Britain’s Lee Pearson held a 100 per cent record of nine golds from nine events from his first three Games. Photo: AFP
Great Britain’s Lee Pearson held a 100 per cent record of nine golds from nine events from his first three Games. Photo: AFP

Sir Lee Pearson

The Staffordshire equestrian star took his career tally to 14 golds by topping the podium three times in Tokyo – the sixth Paralympics of his career. “The Godfather” of British Para Dressage held a 100 per cent record of nine golds from nine events from his first three Games. He added a further two golds, two silvers and a bronze across London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Daniel Dias with his gold medal from the 200-metre freestyle S5 final at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Photo: AP
Daniel Dias with his gold medal from the 200-metre freestyle S5 final at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Photo: AP

Daniel Dias

The Brazilian swimmer became his nation’s most-decorated Paralympian after winning four gold, three silver and two bronze medals on home soil at Rio 2016. Having already claimed 24 medals across three Games, Dias retired after adding three bronzes to his total at Tokyo 2020.

 

Chantal Petitclerc

Canadian athlete Petitclerc was a dominant force in wheelchair racing from 1996 to 2008. The 54-year-old won 14 Paralympic gold medals in a stellar career, plus a further five silver and two bronze. In 2016, she was named to the Senate of Canada.

Sarah Storey, who was born without a functioning left hand, is Britain’s most successful Paralympian. Photo: EPA
Sarah Storey, who was born without a functioning left hand, is Britain’s most successful Paralympian. Photo: EPA

Dame Sarah Storey

Britain’s most successful Paralympian, the 46-year-old cyclist made her Games debut in Barcelona aged 14. Storey, who was born without a functioning left hand, won five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals across four Games as a swimmer before switching to the bike and collecting a further 12 golds in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo.

Natalie du Toit was the first amputee to qualify for the Olympics when she swam at Beijing 2008. Photo: Xinhua
Natalie du Toit was the first amputee to qualify for the Olympics when she swam at Beijing 2008. Photo: Xinhua

Natalie Du Toit

The South African swimmer, who in 2001 lost her left leg below the knee in a scooter accident when she was travelling to school, is a 13-time Paralympic champion. She became the first amputee to qualify for the Olympics when she booked a place at Beijing 2008 in the 10km open water event.

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