The 17th edition of the Paralympic Games will take place in Paris from August 28 to September 8. The Paris Paralympics will have a gathering of more than 4,000 athletes from around the world.
The first Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960 to ensure equal treatment with non-disabled Olympic athletes. The Paralympic Games were conceived to underline the participants’ achievements in sports and not their disability. Recent games have tried to convey the message that these games are about the ability of an athlete as opposed to disability. Several athletes made their mark as the most successful Paralympians in the history of Paralympics.
Here are the most successful Paralympians of all time:
Trischa Zorn (United States)
The most decorated athlete in the history of Paralympics is USA’s Trischa Zorn-Hudson. The American swimmer won 46 medals including 32 gold medals, nine silver medals and five bronze medals.
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Born with a genetic eye condition that left her blind, Zorn-Hudson made her maiden Paralympics appearance at Arnhem 1980 at the age of 16 and won seven gold medals in the Games. She took part in seven Paralympic Games in her swimming career spanning from 1980 to 2004 and ranked on top of the most successful Paralympians of all time.
At the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, she topped the individual medal tally with 10 gold medals and two silver. She also held eight world records in her disability category following the Sydney Games in 2000.
Béatrice Hess (France)
French Paralympic swimmer Béatrice Hess has a total of 25 Paralympic medals including 20 gold medals and five silver medals. She has no bronze medal in her cabinet. Hess won four gold medals in 1984, one in 1988, six in 1996, and seven in 2000. She also broke nine world records at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. At the 2004 Games in Athens, she won two gold and three silver medals.
The French swimmer has cerebral palsy, and competed in the S5 disability classification. She featured in five Paralympic Games from from 1984 to 2004 and became one of the most successful Paralympians of all time.
Sarah Storey (Great Britain)
Sarah Storey bagged 28 medals in her Paralympic career. One of the most successful Paralympians, Storey clinched 17 golds, eight silver medals and three bronze medals. She has the unique distinction of winning five gold medals in the Paralympic Games before turning 19.
Storey, a cyclist and a swimmer, is regarded as one of the most experienced athletes in the history of the Paralympics as she took part at the Paralympic Games on eight occasions in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020, and will be in the fray for a ninth Games in 2024.She remains the current para world record holder in women’s 3000m individual pursuit and hour record in track cycling.
Jessica Long (United States)
With 29 paralympic medals, Jessica Long is one of the most successful Paralympians. The American swimmer has 16 gold medals, eight silver medals, and five bronze medals.
Long competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. Due to fibular hemimelia, her lower legs were amputated when she was 18 months old. Long made her debut at the international stage at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, winning three gold medals in swimming.
Also Read: Paris Paralympics 2024: Everything To know About The Trailblazing Event
Mayumi Narita (Japan)
Mayumi Narita has 20 medals from Paralympics, including 15 gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze and became one of the most successful Paralympians. The Japanese swimmer, described as “one of the world’s best Paralympic athletes” by the International Paralympic Committee, made her Paralympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics where she clinched two gold medals, two silver and one bronze. At the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, she won six gold medals where she also set five world records.
Narita had to use a wheelchair because of myelitis since the age of 13 in 1994. Additionally, she met with a road accident which left her quadriplegic.
