PARALYMPICS 2024: A look back at Team SA's standout performers

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa sent more than 26 athletes to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, which were staged from 28 August to 8 September.

The para-athletes ended the Paris Paralympics with six medals - two gold and four bronze medals - two world records, four Paralympic records, 14 African records and numerous personal best performances.

EWN looks back at some of the standout performers:

MEDAL WINNERS FOR SOUTH AFRICA:

Mpumelelo Mhlongo – Men’s 100m T44 Gold
Simoné Kruger – Women’s Discus F38 Gold 
Mpumelelo Mhlongo – Men’s 200m Bronze 
Louzanne Coetzee – Women’s 1500m T12 Bronze
Pieter du Preez – Men’s Hand Cycling H1 Individual Time Trial Bronze
Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi – Men’s Wheelchair Tennis Quad Doubles Bronze

Team SA brought home six medals – two gold and four bronze medals.  

One of the medals was grabbed by Simoné Kruger in the Women's F38 discus, where she broke the Paralympic record and won South Africa's second gold medal with a throw of 38.70m.

In May, the 19-year-old won South Africa's second gold medal and broke the world record in the women’s discus with a throw of 38.82m at the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Japan.

READ: PARALYMPICS 2024: Simoné Kruger keeps promise and bags discus gold

SOUTH AFRICA'S WORLD RECORD

Team South Africa set two World Records both from Mpumelelo Mhlongo.

In the Men's 200m T44 event, Mhlongo set the world record with a time of 22.62, claiming a bronze medal.

The T44 athlete was running in a higher category than his T44, and he set a new world record in the 200m at 22.62, breaking his Tokyo Paralympics world record of 22.81.

In the men's long jump T44e event, Mhlongo set the world record with a jump of 7.12m.

The Team SA flag bearer at the Paris Games dominated the men’s T44 100m when he won South Africa's first medal a gold in a time of 11.12 seconds.

READ: PARALYMPICS 2024: Mhlongo claims bronze medal and breaks second World Record

SOUTH AFRICA'S PARALYMPIC RECORDS

Puseletso Mabote in the T63 100m,
Mpumelelo Mhlongo in the T44 200m,
Mpumelelo Mhlongo in the T44 long jump
Simone Kruger in the T38 discus

South Africa also set four Paralympic records, with Puseletso Mabote setting one in the T63 100m, he competed in the final.

Mabote competed in the men's long jump T63 final for South Africa at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in Japan.

He won Silver for South Africa in the men’s 100m T63 final at the Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships and set a new African record in the long jump.

AFRICAN RECORDS

Team South Africa broke 14 African records at the Paris Games, with swimmer Christian Sadie breaking three of them.

Sadie competed in three finals at the Games. The Para-swimmer represented South Africa at the Tokyo Paralympics, won silver at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Portugal and also won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018.

ATHLETICS

T63 100m: Puseletso Mabote 12.0

T44 long jump: Tezna Abrahams 4.46m

T63 long jump: Puseletso Mabote 6.44m

T47 high jump: Khumo Pitso 1.98m

T64 100m: Paul Daniels 11.23

T44 long jump: Mpumelelo Mhlongo 7.12m

T44 200m: Mpumelelo Mhlongo 22.62

SWIMMING

S7 50m freestyle: Christian Sadie 38.75

S7 200m IM: Christian Sadie 2:35.02

S7 50m butterfly: Christian Sadie 29.94

S12 100m breaststroke: Alani Ferreira 1:21.36

S12 400m freestyle: Alani Ferreira 4:55.98

S5 50m backstroke: Kat Swanepoel 49.63

SM13 200m IM: Nathan Hendricks 2:17.15

READ: PARALYMPICS 2024: Swimmer Sadie and sprinter Mhlongo secure final berths