Paris Paralympics Day 9 Wrap Up

DOLPHINS Ben Hance and teenager Callum Simpson were the headline acts on Super Saturday with Australia scooping up six medals – including Hance and Simpson’s emotional golds – at La Defense Arena on the penultimate night of swimming finals at the 2024 Paralympics.

But this could be boosted to seven if sprint veteran Rachael Watson survives a late protest on her bronze medal in the women’s 50 freestyle S4 by Brazil’s Lidia Vieira da Cruz .  The result of this won’t be known until later today (Saturday).

Earlier in the night, sitting on the lane rope and pointing to the sky, Hance – who broke his own world record in the heat  – paid tribute to his late dad in what he described as “the hardest year of my life” and simply said “thank you dad”.

Hance is the first to defend a men’s 100m backstroke S14 title, touching in 57.04, with teammate Ricky Betar 6th in a PB (1:00.33).

Simpson, in Year 11 at Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast, put his head down and got the fingernail touch by 0.02 second on USA’s Noah Jaffe to win gold in the men’s 100m freestyle S8.

Just seven hundredths of a second separated Simpson’s winning time of 58.23 to Italy’s Alberto Amendo (58.30) who claimed bronze.

“It’s everything I dreamed of, and I finally had my dream … it’s finally come true. It’s amazing, it honestly is, and I wouldn’t be able to get here without my family,” Simpson said.

The seventeen-year-old had a golden start to his debut Paralympic Games, winning gold as a heat swimmer in the mixed 4x100m medley 34pt relay and now an individual gold.

It was a frenzy of medals for the Australians – with a haul of five in 45 minutes: Tom Gallagher with bronze; silver and bronze to Tim Hodge and Lewis Bishop, bronze to Emily Beecroft and Hance’s gold – which was then topped up by Simpson’s gold.

While the night glittered with Hance’s and Simpson’s gold; it was the eloquent Hodge who delivered perhaps the gold-medal quote of the Games: “The Olympics are the epitome of human excellence and the Paralympics are the epitome of human resilience.”

It was Gallagher that kicked off Super Saturday with a bronze by 0.12 seconds in the men’s 100m backstroke S10.

The 25-year-old Gallagher had broken through for the Australian team’s first gold medal of the 2024 Paralympics in the 50m free on day one – and this morning AEST added the men’s 100m backstroke S10 bronze after clocking 1:01.34. This made it three medals from three events at these Games for Gallagher.

“I don’t really do too much backstroke, but I try bloody hard. And you know, I think this week was just about racing and I got the job done,” he said.

“I’m buggered … this week has been about racing … I can’t believe it, to be honest. Oh, that was the most painful race I’ve ever done in my life. So just yeah, I’m speechless.”

Lewis Bishop waited until Day 9 to make his Paralympic debut in Paris and the nineteen-year-old’s patience paid off with a bronze in the men’s 100m butterfly S9 behind Iron Man Tim Hodge.

Bishop was eighth at the turn and stormed home with a PB of 1:01.08, to get the touch – just 0.02 ahead of Italy’s Federico Morlacchi.

“I’m lost of words to be honest, all I wanted to do is to make the team and then I made the final and then I got a bronze, it’s an incredible feeling,” said a grateful Bishop, who as a nine-year-old was out on the water with family and friends knee boarding when his leg became damaged by the boat’s propeller.

Joining the boy from Brisbane on the podium was Hodge, claiming his third medal in Paris. Hodge touched in second (1:00.03) behind Italy’s Simone Barlaam who set a European record of 57.99.

Competing in six events, Hodge had the busiest program of the Australian swim team. He closed his stacked campaign with two golds, from the medley 4x100m 34pt relay and the men’s 200 IM SM9 and now a silver.

“An absolutely insane race, I was hoping to go under a minute but still a really good race, now I’m happy to soak it all in because as quick as it (Paralympic Games) comes it goes and you don’t get too many in your life” said the three-time Paralympian.

Like Hodge, Rachael is a three-time Paralympian and after overcoming a slow start, the triplet touched fourth (41.17) but was initially awarded bronze in the women’s 50m freestyle S4 after Brazil’s Lidia Vieira da Cruz was disqualified for a false start.

Watson, an S3 swimmer swimming up a class, produced the fastest 50m freestyle performance of her career – a PB and Oceania record. If the protest is dismissed, it will be the 32-year-old’s second bronze after her third place in the 100m free S3.

Three-time Paralympian Emily Beecroft won her first individual Paralympic medal at these Games, a bronze in the 100m butterfly S9, after her shock gold medal in the 34 points 4x100m mixed medley relay with Jesse Aungles, Hodge and Alexa Leary.

Beecroft’s execution was almost perfect to touch in 1:07.96 with American Christie Raleigh-Crossley winning gold in a Paralympic record time of 1:05.19. Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly won silver 1:097.96.

For full results, see here.

Where can I watch the Paralympics?
The Paralympics will be broadcast free-to-air on Channel 9, 9Gem and streamed live and free on 9Now.

What do the classifications mean?

• S1-S10 for athletes with physical impairments.
• S11-S13 for athletes with visual impairments.
• S14 for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Classifications explained in full here.

Image Credit: Delly Carr

The Dolphin Tally

For a full list of results, see here