THE FINALE: Paris Paralympics Day 10 Wrap

FITTINGLY, it was unofficial team leader Rowan Crothers that closed out the Dolphins Paris 2024 Paralympic campaign with a storming finish to haul Australia to the silver medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay 34pt at La Defense Arena.

The silver – Australia’s second for the night – put an exclamation mark on an outstanding campaign for the Australian Paralympic swim team that will pack 27 medals into overhead luggage on the flight home – 6 gold, 8 silver and 13 bronze.

One more stroke would have seen Crothers pinch gold from the Italian team that had to set a new world record to upstage gentle giant Crothers, Alexa Leary, Callum Simpson and Chloe Osborn.

Team Australia touched in 4:01.90 behind Italy (WR 4:01.54) and USA third (4:04.70).

For Crothers (S10) it was his third medal of the meet after sharing the podium twice with fellow sprint sensation Tom Gallagher, for Osborn (S7) her first medal, while Leary (S9) and Simpson (S8) both take home two golds and a silver.

Other than three-time Paralympian Crothers, the rest of this morning’s relay team were Paralympic debutants and in another take-out from the Games that bodes well for LA 2028 – every single male Aussie swimmer leaves La Defense Arena with a medal.

Crothers said: “That was so much fun … lot of strategy with mixed medley relay but it’s not about being the best but trying your best.”

Australia’s other medal on the final session came courtesy of Col Pearse.

The 21-year-old finally snagged the individual medal he had trained seven years for with a silver medal in the men’s 200m individual medley SM10. And now Echuca, a Victorian town, will be most famous for the Murray River, paddle steamers … and Pearse.

The regional Victorian kid, who moved to Melbourne as a teenager to pursue a dream and who trained in the dam on his family’s dairy farm during COVID, touched in 2:12.79 behind Italy’s Stefano Raimondi (gold, 2:10.24) with Ukraine’s Ihor Nimchenko claiming bronze (2:13.73).

Pearse had his right foot amputated following an accident with a ride-on mower at the age of two said: “I moved away from home at 14 to pursue this goal in making the Paralympics.”

“I worked my ass off to get here. So to be able to walk away with some silverware, it just means so much … to those kids with disabilities from regional areas, be patient and love who you are.”

Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson, the larrikin from Cairns in Far North Queensland, signed off his Paris campaign with an 8th placing in the men’s 200m freestyle S3 and will finally have that Canadian Club he has promised himself, stopping the clock at 3:57.72.

“To make four finals … and two bronze medals probably my best Games. Four weeks has gone past … has been an amazing campaign, it’s been pretty special. Watching my roommate Lewis (Bishop)… I feel a bit like his father, and Ben Hance’s race were pretty special,” Patterson, 35, said.

“Yes you will see me in four years … definitely tomorrow night you will see some dancing.”

In other events, Jasmine Greenwood (2:34.66) and Keira Stephens (2:36.28) claimed fifth and sixth respectively in the women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10.

The Aussies were bumped up a place after touching the wall in sixth and seventh but Dutch swimmer Lisa Kruger, who was third, was disqualified.

Greenwood was second at the first turn, third at the second but was overtaken by competitors in the breaststroke leg. For Greenwood it was her fourth consecutive final, while Paralympic debutant Stephens won gold as a heat swimmer in the winning mixed medley 34pt relay team.

China’s Zhang Meng won gold, followed by Hungary’s Bianka Pap in silver and Tatyana Lebrun from Belgium in bronze.

Rounding out Session 20 was the presentation of Rachael Watson’s bronze medal. Watson had to wait more than 24 hours to finally get her hands on the bronze after it was caught up in a Brazilian protest overnight.

The 32 touched fourth in the final of the women’s S4 50m freestyle, but was awarded the bronze as Brazil’s Lidia Vieira da Cruz was disqualified on the penultimate night of finals.

The Brazilian appeared to have moved off the wall moments before the starting signal but officials let the race continue and elevated Watson after the DQ.

With the protest today dismissed, Watson was presented with her medal this morning (AEST)  –  her third consecutive Paralympic medal in this event.

Image Credit: Delly Carr

The Dolphin Tally

For a full list of results, see here.

DOLPHINS 2024 Paralympics Honour Roll

Gold
> Men’s 50m Freestyle S10 – Tom Gallagher
> Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay 34PT – Alexa Leary, Emily Beecroft, Timothy Hodge, Jesse Aungles (Heat swimmers: Keira Stephens, Callum Simpson)
> Women’s 100m Freestyle S9 – Alexa Leary
> Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM9 – Timothy Hodge
> Men’s 100m Backstroke S14 – Ben Hance
> Men’s 100m Freestyle S8 – Callum Simpson

Silver
> Women’s 400m Freestyle S9 – Lakeisha ‘Lucky’ Patterson​
> Men’s 100m Freestyle S10 – Rowan Crothers
> Men’s 150m Individual Medley SM3 – Ahmed Kelly
> Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay S14 – Jack Ireland, Madeleine McTernan, Ruby Storm, Ben Hance
> Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB14 – Jake Michel
> Men’s 100m Butterfly S9 – Timothy Hodge
> Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 – Col Pearse
> Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay 34pt – Rowan Crothers, Alexa Leary, Callum Simpson, Chloe Osborn.

Bronze
> Men’s 400m Freestyle S9 – Brenden Hall
> Men’s 50m Freestyle S10 – Rowan Crothers
> Men’s 200m Freestyle S14 – Jack Ireland
> Men’s 100m Freestyle S10 – Tom Gallagher
> Men’s 150m Individual Medley SM3 – Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson
> Women’s 100m Freestyle S3 – Rachael Watson
> Men’s 100m Butterfly S10 – Alex Saffy
> Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM14 – Ricky Betar
> Men’s 50m Breaststroke SB2 – Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson
> Men’s 100m Backstroke S10 – Tom Gallagher
> Men’s 100m Butterfly S9 – Lewis Bishop
> Women’s 100m Butterfly S9 – Emily Beecroft
> Women’s 50m Freestyle S4 – Rachael Watson