Published on : 05/09/2021 – 16:07
The Tokyo Paralympic Games ended on Sunday in a ceremony marked by the handover between the Japanese capital and Paris. Despite the restrictions due to the health crisis, the exploits and unexpected events were there. France 24 looks back on 10 striking images.
- A raid of medals for France
For France these Tokyo Paralympic Games will have been abundant. The tricolors complete the competition with 54 medals, including 11 in gold, 15 in silver and 28 in bronze. The very last was won by Lucas Mazur, just before the end of the clap, Sunday, September 5, in badminton (category SL4). We will also remember the feat of cyclist Kévin Le Cunff, who won gold by winning in the road race (category C4-5). In tennis, the pair made up of Stéphane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer also retained their title in the final, as did table tennis players Fabien Lamirault and Stéphane Molliens.
- Afghan athletes exfiltrated in extremis for the Games
The Paralympic Games this year coincided with the capture of Kabul by the Taliban in Afghanistan and the emergency flight of thousands of Afghans in dire conditions. Exfiltrated in extremis by several States, including France, after launching an appeal for help, two young Afghan athletes were able to reach Tokyo almost in time. While taekwondoist Zakia Khudadadi was able to compete, sprinter Hossain Rasouli arrived too late for the 100m heats, but he took part in the long jump competition. Neither of them won medals, but they were able to live their dream to the end. The closing of the Games now raises the question of what to do next for these two young athletes – 18 and 26 years old respectively – because they can no longer return to Afghanistan.
- The return of adapted sport
He was excluded from the Paralympics for cheating from 2004 to 2012. Adapted sport has made a comeback in Tokyo, to the delight of the French Léa Ferney and Charles-Antoine Kouakou who won gold in table tennis and in athletics. Athletes with intellectual disabilities, however, remained in the minority during these Games. They represented less than 5% of Paralympic athletes. The selection criteria have been tightened since the Sydney Games scandal in 2000, during which ten basketball players, out of twelve of the Spanish gold-medal team, were in fact able-bodied. This year, mentally disabled athletes were only allowed to compete in three disciplines: swimming, table tennis and athletics.
- Omara Durand, crowned queen of the Games
The Tokyo Paralympic Games crowned Omara Durand the undisputed queen of speed. After winning the 400m, then the 100m, the visually impaired athlete walked away with gold for the 200m. Since the start of her career, this Cuban, who has won absolutely everything, thus completes her hunting table. The sprinter also owes her victory to Yunior Kindelan, the guide who runs alongside her, but also one of her closest friends.
- Briton Sarah Storey becomes legend
The British athlete made her country’s history in Tokyo by becoming the most successful British Paralympic athlete with a 17th gold medal in the road cycling race (C4-5). This summer Sarah Storey also won gold in the 3000m individual pursuit (C5) and the road time trial (C5). Switched from swimming to cycling, due to chronic ear infections, this incredible fighter, born without a functional left hand, is now a legend with an impressive record of 37 world titles in these two favorite sports.
- Jessica Long, the medal collector
This swimmer has shaped this winning mindset since her earliest childhood. His life has been a struggle since his birth. Born in Russia and suffering from a birth defect, Jessica Long had both legs amputated at the age of 18 months after being adopted by an American couple. For her fifth participation in the Paralympic Games, she now has 15 gold medals.
- Farewell to the competition of Marie-Amélie Le Fur
The president of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF), Marie-Amélie Le Fur, said her goodbye in Tokyo by leaving with a silver medal in the long jump (category T64). The champion, amputated in the leg, is the holder of the world record of the 400 m and the length. It will remain on its nine medals acquired in four Olympiads. She leaves the stadium but not the world of disabled sports since she remains mobilized with the CPSF for the organization of Paris-2024.
- China dominates the medal table
With its 207 medals, including 96 gold, China remains the undisputed master of these Paralympic Games. The country’s 500th (summer) gold medal since its first appearance at the 1984 Paralympic Games in New York was celebrated with great fanfare. It was the armless swimmer Zheng Tao who took care of it, winning gold in the 50m freestyle (category S5) completing his collection of gold medals for these games (50m backstroke and 50m in the backstroke). butterfly and 4x50m freestyle relay).
- Shingo Kunieda’s gold triplet in wheelchair tennis
At home, the Japanese Shingo Kunieda, won the men’s singles in wheelchair tennis and became a star in Japan. The victory marks his third Paralympic title in the men’s singles – he won gold medals consecutively in Beijing in 2008 and London 2012. His victory in Tokyo allows him to become the second wheelchair tennis player to win three medals. Gold Individuals at the Paralympic Games. The only other player to achieve this feat is Dutch Esther Vergeer.
- A gold medal despite flat tires
Less than an hour from the 100m final (T51 category), Belgian para-athlete Peter Genyn finds his wheelchair vandalized. Three flat tires and a damaged frame. Everyone is working to repair it as quickly as possible, including the Dutch and members of the stadium’s technical service. The athlete ended up winning the gold. He had walked away with the money a few days earlier in the 200m.
With AFP
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