Paris, September 8, 2024 – The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games officially came to an end on Sunday, with Nicholas Bennett and Brianna Hennessy carrying the flag for Canada at the Closing Ceremony. The Canadian Paralympic Team concluded the 11 days of competition with 29 medals – 10 gold, nine silver, and 10 bronze. On the final day of the Games, Canada finished fourth in the women’s wheelchair basketball tournament and posted fourth (Hennessy) and sixth (Mathieu St-Pierre) places in Para canoe.
Canada’s 29 medals improves on the Tokyo 2020 Games, where the team secured 21 podiums (5-10-6), ties its performance from Rio 2016 (8-10-11), and is just shy of the 31 podiums from the London 2012 Games (7-15-9). The 10 gold medals in Paris are also the most earned since Beijing 2008. Canada finished 12th on the medal table by gold medals.
OVERALL MEDAL TOTAL
GOLD – 10
SILVER – 9
BRONZE – 10
TOTAL – 29
CLICK HERE for the complete list of medals won by the Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team.
“What an incredible Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” said Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de mission, Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team. “The past 12 days have been a spectacle of athletic excellence and drive, and a proud display of everything that makes Para sport so special, unique, and important. It has been a superb Paralympic Games for Canada, and it has been a true privilege to witness all the athletes perform on such a grand stage. Congratulations to the entire team for their achievements.”
“The Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of Para sport, and Paris 2024 has been such a celebration of sport for people with a disability, with so much support from the people of France and from Canadians cheering on the team both here in Paris and from home,” said Karolina Wisniewska, co-chef de mission, Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team. “I am so excited about everything the Canadian Paralympic Team accomplished here at the Paralympic Games – and for what the future holds for so many of these athletes and Para sport in Canada. From the biggest victories and gold medal wins, to dealing with defeat and disappointment, we are proud of each and every single member of the team.”
“It takes a monumental effort to bring a team to the Paralympic Games, and a huge congratulations is in order to all the athletes, coaches, and support staff on an exceptional Paris 2024,” said Karen O’Neill, CEO, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “Together, everyone showed up to support each other and provide the highest quality environment for all to succeed. And over these Games we have had so much to celebrate, with incredible performances on the field of play and such palpable support from Canadians back home. Paris 2024 was a shining example of how sport can create a more inclusive world, and we look to maintain that momentum to grow Paralympic sport even more across Canada.”
“The Canadian Paralympic Team has put forth some remarkable performances through the Paris 2024 Games,” said Catherine Gosselin-Despres, Chief Sport Officer, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “With 29 medals, it has been one of our best Games, highlighted by our most gold medals in 16 years and Canada’s first team sport podium in 12 years. It has also been great to see such a strong mix of longtime and first-time Paralympians having success on the Paralympic stage. The training and preparation by the athletes, national sport organizations, and all team staff has paid off with strong results, not just with podiums but other gained experiences and learnings that will pave the way for 2028.”
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Canada won medals in six sports: Para swimming (13), Para athletics (9), Para cycling (4), Para triathlon (1), Para canoe (1), sitting volleyball (1)
- 31 athletes are going home with a medal from Paris
- Para swimmers Nicholas Bennett (two gold, one silver) and Aurelie Rivard (one gold, one silver, one bronze) captured the most medals for Canda with three each
- Bennett and wheelchair racer Cody Fournie tied for most gold medals for Canada with two apiece
- Six athletes are multi-medallists: Bennett (3), Rivard (3), Fournie (2), Austin Smeenk (one gold, one bronze), Brent Lakatos (one gold, one silver), and Tess Routliffe (one silver, one bronze)
- 22 athletes won their first-ever Paralympic medals in Paris; 10 of those athletes were competing at their first Paralympic Games
- 20 women are going home with medals, accounting for 13 medals with 11 men finishing on the podium, accounting for 16 medals
- Seven medallists from the Tokyo Games also going home with medals in Paris
- At 44 years and four months old, sitting volleyball’s Felicia Voss-Shafiq was Canada’s oldest medallist
- The youngest member of the Canadian Paralympic Team, Reid Maxwell (who turned 17 years old during the Games on September 2), won a silver medal
- Brianna Hennessy won Canada’s first-ever medals in the sport of Para canoe, which joined the Paralympic program at Rio 2016
- Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team won the nation’s first-ever medal in the sport with a bronze. It is also Canada’s first medal in a team sport since London 2012
- With 13 medals, Canada’s Para swimming team surpassed its total from the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Games
- Canada’s Para athletics team enjoyed its best Games since Beijing 2008 with nine medals
- Medallists by province: British Columbia (9), Alberta (8), Ontario (6), Saskatchewan (3), Quebec (2), New Brunswick (2), and Manitoba (1)
