We watch the Paralympics on the edge of our seat. Biting our nails to see who will cross the finish line first or throw the furthest. We watch athletes defeat laws of physics across pitches and racetracks. Every four years we see records set and think, ‘nobody could beat this’.

And yet each games, they do.  

Like its sister, the Olympics, the Paralympics has a spirit. One that defeats adversity and tells stories of humans pushed to their ultimate capabilities.

"Every woman on that world stage gave it everything they’ve got."

Paris 2024 was no exception from this rule. We saw athletes dominate across all sports and across all classifications of disability. And just like we saw in the Olympics – every woman on that world stage gave it everything they’ve got.

World records seemed to be no challenge for this year’s female Paralympians. Nigeria’s Folashade Oluwafemiayo broke her own record in powerlifting – lifiting an insane 166kg in her third round.

Even dislocated shoulders seemed no match for Nigeria’s weightlifting women, with Esther Nworgu scoring a silver despite the injury only happening two days prior.

A silver was also scored over in the pool by Team USA’s Ali Truwit. In 2023 Truwit was caught in a shark attack, resulting in the amputation of part of her left leg. Since then, she has taken only a year to not only recover but find her way onto the Paralympic podium.

Talking to NBC about her medal-winning time Truwit said, “It was a faster time than I ever swam with two feet and two legs which is really cool because I do think it’s representative of how fast these Paralympic athletes are.”

Truwit’s story seems astonishing to most, but her story of defiance and determination is one of many at the games, proving the beauty and spirit of the Paralympics.

Team GB’s Funmi Oduwaiye is also an athlete who found paralympic success after injury. Now competing in Shot Put and Discus, Oduwaiye used to play international basketball, until surgery complications left her paralysed in one leg.

On Saturday, Dame Sarah Storey officially became the most decorated GB Paralympian with an insane 19 gold medals. In a cycling road-race, Storey was able to beat a French cyclist 27 years her junior to win a gold medal. Storey now has 14 gold medals in cycling and 5 in swimming.

Speaking to Sky News, Storey touched on the gravity of being an Olympic athlete and inspiring younger generations,

“There are certain things that you don't ever apply for - role model, icon, whatever - and those things are bestowed upon you by people who are inspired by what you do.”

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