GB Achieves 100 Medals at Paris Paralympics

Great Britain has reached a milestone of 100 medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, as wheelchair tennis stars Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid secured a career ‘Golden Slam’ in the men’s doubles, surpassing the number of gold medals achieved at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

On Friday, GB clinched six golds among their 16 medals, achieving their target of 100-140 medals set by UK Sport with two days of competition remaining. Hewett and Reid defeated Japan’s Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki at Roland Garros, and Hewett will now aim for a career Golden Slam in singles on Saturday.

Sarah Storey, at 46, won the women’s C4-5 road race, claiming her 19th career Paralympic gold. Sophie Unwin, 30, secured her fourth medal of the Games in the B women’s road race with pilot Jenny Holl.

Poppy Maskill, 19, won her third gold in the pool with a victory in the women’s S14 100m backstroke. Wheelchair fencer Dimitri Coutya claimed the men’s epee B title, and Ben Sandilands took gold in the men’s T20 1500m.

GB previously won 41 golds among 124 medals in Tokyo. With 75 gold medal events scheduled for the final weekend, the team aims to surpass their Tokyo total. On Friday, Para-table tennis players Robert Davies and Will Bayley both won silver, as did wheelchair fencer Piers Gilliver in the men’s epee A category. Marcus Perrineau-Daley won silver in the men’s T52 100m final, and GB’s 4x100m universal relay team earned silver.

Hollie Arnold took bronze in the women’s F46 javelin, while swimmers Maisie Summers-Newton, Mark Tompsett, and Olivia Newman-Baronius also secured bronze medals. Cyclists Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall added to the podium finishes in the women’s B road race.

Hewett and Reid’s triumph in the men’s doubles completed their career Golden Slam, a feat they had narrowly missed in Rio and Tokyo. They overcame a tough first set to win 6-2, 6-1, with Hewett now focusing on his singles goal.

Maskill’s remarkable debut continued as she won her third gold, making her the most decorated ParalympicsGB athlete in Paris so far. She now has five medals, including golds in the 100m S14 butterfly and the mixed 4x100m S14 freestyle relay.

Storey, who achieved her 19th gold medal in the women’s C5 time trial earlier in the week, extended her British record in the road race, narrowly defeating France’s Heidi Gaugain.

Coutya’s gold in men’s epee B was GB’s 42nd gold in Paris, surpassing their Tokyo total. Sandilands also made a mark with a world-record-breaking 1500m performance, securing GB’s fifth Para-athletics gold.

Kinghorn added her fifth medal as part of GB’s relay team, bringing her total to four silvers and one gold. Transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo did not advance to the finals of the T12 200m or 400m.

As the Games approach their final days, GB remains focused on achieving their medal targets and delivering strong performances across remaining events.