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This year has been a dream for sports enthusiasts with the Olympics and Paralympics events back to back. There were a lot of upsets in the just-concluded Olympics, none more upsetting, especially if you live in the US, than America losing the 4x100m men’s medley to China, a record they have held for decades with odds of -152 on recommended betting sites reviewed by gambling expert Peter Addison, against +160 for China, their closest rivals. This ultimately set the “anything can happen at the Olympics” stage, and now people are wondering if the Paralympics had the same bite. With the Paralympics having wound down on September 8, we look at the victors, their victories, and the beauty in their conquest. 

August 30th

The first set of medals to be won in the Para-athletics category was in the women’s discus throw. Gold went to Colombia thanks to Castano Salazar Erica Maria’s result of 26.70m, with China’s Dong Feixia coming in second with 26.67m and Mexico’s Guerrero Cazares Rosa Maria’s season’s best was enough to earn her a bronze medal. 

Setting a world record in the men's 5000m was Agripino dos Santos Julio Cesar from Brazil. Putting in a stellar time of 14:48:85, he left quite the margin to his countryman, Jacques Yeltsin, in third and Japan’s Karasawa Kenya, in second. 

August 31st

In the women's javelin throw, Zhao Yuping broke the world record with an amazing 47.06m with Kulinich-Sorokina Anna, under the neutral Paralympics banner, coming in second and Austria’s Eder Natalija in third. 

September 1st

China’s Shi Yiting set a Paralympic record in the T36 200m of 27.50 ahead of New Zealander Aitchison Danielle, who was a whisker away with a time of 27.64, and Australian Lovell Mali, who picked up bronze with a time of 29.82. 

Winning gold in the men’s high jump was American Townsend Roderick, with a result of 2.12m. While India’s Nishad Kumar set a personal best, it still wasn’t enough, with a result of 2.04m and Margiev Georgii coming in third. 

September 2nd

Taking gold in the men's long jump with a record 7.27m is Azerbaijan’s Najafzade Said. Trailing behind him with the silver medal is Uzbekistan’s Saliev Doniyot, with a result of 7.16m, and picking up bronze is Argentina’s Vazquez Fernando, with a result of 6.88m. 

September 3rd

The men's 200m went in favour of Canada’s Fournie Cody with a personal best of 37.64. Piispanen Toni from Finland won the silver medal with a time of 38.55, and winning bronze was Belgium’s Genyn Peter with a time of 38.65.

When it was time for the men’s 1500m, there was only one favourite. If you were a betting man or knew one, all the money would be on Switzerland’s Hug Marcel, the current world and Paralympic world holder. When the race finished, he had come in second, ahead of China’s Dai Yunqiang and behind China’s Jia Hua, who took gold with a time of 2:49:93. 

September 4th

The men's javelin throw saw the Colombian duo of Valencia Mauricio and Meneses Medina Diego Fernando try to stop Afrooz Saeid, the Iranian, from setting another record, but to no avail. He picked up the gold with a record of 41.16m. Valencia came picked the silver medal and his countryman the bronze. 

September 5th

Vanessa Low powered to her first gold medal while mashing the world records in the women’s long jump. With a result of 5.45, she set herself aside from the competition in Caironi Martina, Italy, and Kratter Elena, Switzerland, who won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

In the women’s 100m, Durand Elias Omara from Cuba won the gold medal with a season-best record of 11.81. Not too far behind was the Ukrainian Boturchuk Oksana, winning silver, and Mueller-Rottgardt Katrin with bronze. 

September 6th

The men’s high jump saw India’s Praveen Kumar prevail, winning gold with a result of 2.08, besting Loccident Derek from the USA and Giyazov Temurbek from Uzbekistan, who won the silver and bronze, respectively. 

September 7th

 It was a Canadian affair on the penultimate day of the Paralympics, with Smeenk Austin picking up a gold medal at the men’s 800m. Rattana Chaiwat finished second to claim silver, and Australian McCracken Rheed bagged bronze. 

September 8th

Morocco had something to say on the last day of the Paralympics, with racers El Idrissi Fatima Ezzahara clinching gold and setting a new world record behind her was En-Nourhi Meryem bagging silver and Michishita Misato from Japan for bronze.