Paris 2024 Paralympics: GB Secures Second Place

Paris 2024 Paralympics concluded on Sunday, ParalympicsGB chef de mission Penny Briscoe praised the team for their outstanding performance. The 215-member British squad achieved second place in the medal standings, amassing a total of 124 medals including 49 golds, 44 silvers and 31 bronzes. This impressive haul surpassed the UK Sport target of 100 to 140 medals.

Briscoe highlighted the exceptional experience of the Games, stating, “Paris has been an incredible Games for ParalympicsGB, both on and off the field of play.” Great Britain equaled their total medal count from Tokyo 2020 but earned eight additional golds at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Their 49 gold medals are their highest tally since the 2016 Rio Games where they won 64 golds.

Since Seoul 1988, only Rio 2016 has seen more golds (65). Great Britain has consistently finished second in the medal table at every summer Paralympics this century except for London 2012 when they placed third. The British team competed in 19 sports, winning medals in 18 of them. Swimming proved to be their most successful sport with 32 total medals including 18 golds—10 more than Tokyo.

Para-canoeing also saw GB excel with eight medals, double the number won by Brazil, the second-best nation in that sport. Notable British athletes include Para-swimmers Poppy Maskill and Alice Tai and wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn, each earning five medals. Maskill won three golds in her Paralympic debut. Meanwhile, Sarah Storey Great Britain’s most decorated Paralympian added two more titles in Paris.

She extended her record to 30 medals including 19 golds. China topped the medal table for the sixth consecutive Paralympics, while the USA maintained their third-place position. Hosts France improved to eighth place, winning 19 golds and 75 medals up from their 14th place finish in Tokyo.