Paris (AFP) – Switzerland won both Paralympic wheelchair marathons on Sunday while the Netherlands secured back-to-back women’s wheelchair basketball titles, denying the USA on the final day of competition. China finished top of the medals table in Paris, as they have for every Paralympics since Athens in 2004. They had 94 golds, followed by Britain with 49 and the USA with 36.
As the six weeks of Olympics and Paralympics fever in the City of Light drew to a close, venues were being dismantled before the closing ceremony in the Stade de France. Early in the morning, Catherine Debrunner propelled her racing wheelchair through the autumnal chill in the streets of Paris to win the women’s marathon. The 29-year-old Swiss athlete added to the four gold medals she has already won on the track at these Games, ranging from the 400 metres to the 5,000m, with a silver medal in the T53 100m thrown in for good measure.
“I’m extremely exhausted but very happy,” said Debrunner. “Winning this marathon means everything to me because to end this Paralympics with this is really something special.” Madison de Rozario of Australia took a courageous silver medal behind her, competing despite the death of her father on the day of the Paris opening ceremony.
Marcel Hug, 38, made up for a disappointing Games on the track by dominating the men’s wheelchair marathon, finishing three minutes and 40 seconds ahead of Hua Jin of China. One of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes of all time, David Weir, announced Paris was his last Games after he finished fifth. “It’s my last event for Great Britain,” 45-year-old Weir said. “No more international racing for me. I’ll do the city marathons. I feel proud and I am very emotional.”
A minute’s silence was held after one of the women’s marathons in memory of Rebecca Cheptegei, the Ugandan Olympic marathon runner who died this week after an attack by her partner. Cheptegei had finished 44th in the women’s marathon on August 11.
– Dutch basketball delight – The Netherlands scored a convincing 63-49 win against the USA to retain the women’s wheelchair basketball title they won at Tokyo 2020. Bo Kramer topscored for the Dutch with 23 points and also had 12 rebounds while Mariska Beijer added 22 points. Rose Hollermann hit 17 points for the Americans but they were dominated for most of the game at Bercy Arena. The Americans must wait until the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics before trying to win a title that their men secured for a third Games in a row on Saturday. The USA women’s last title came at the 2016 Rio Games. China beat Canada 65-43 to win the bronze medal.
Organisers have promised to create the feel of a huge open-air nightclub at the Stade de France for the closing ceremony later Sunday. The hour-long set, which will see 24 DJs mix in one track each on stage, will be opened and closed by French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, 76. The ceremony will also see the Olympic cauldron extinguished and a symbolic handover from Paris to Los Angeles which will host the next Games in 2028.
Rounding out the medals table, the Netherlands were fourth with 27 golds, Brazil finished with 25 and Italy won 24 golds in sixth place. Ukraine’s athletes overcame considerable obstacles posed by the war with Russian forces to finish in seventh place with 22 golds and host nation France were eighth with 19 golds.
© 2024 AFP
