Paris 2024: Fortune wins first Paralympic gold in style on Sunday

Sunday evening at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was filled with stunning performances and heartfelt moments.

British thrower Sabrina Fortune celebrated her first Paralympic gold in the women’s shot put F20 event, setting a new world record with her opening throw. “I couldn’t believe it, especially on the first throw,” Fortune said. “I wanted to celebrate immediately, but I had five more throws to go.”

Hannah Cockroft from Great Britain also shone brightly. She secured her fourth consecutive gold medal in the women’s 100m T34 race, continuing her impressive streak. “The support from the crowd was incredible. It’s what we work for,” Cockroft exclaimed, still beaming with joy.

Italy’s Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy set another world record in the men’s discus F52 with a throw of 27.06m, winning gold. Switzerland also celebrated two victories, with Catherine Debrunner taking gold in the women’s 800m T53 and Manuela Schaer winning the women’s 800m T54.

Venezuela made history as Enderson Santos Gonzalez claimed the first gold for his country at Paris 2024 in the men’s 400m T11, defeating local favorite Adolphe Timothee. Guillaume Atangana from the Refuge Paralympic Team won bronze, marking the team’s second-ever medal. “This medal shows how the Paralympic movement for refugees can inspire people,” Atangana said.

The evening ended on a romantic note with Italian sprinter Alessandro Ossola proposing to his girlfriend, Arianna Mandaradoni, in front of a cheering Stade de France crowd.

Here are the results from the Para athletics events on September 1:

• Women’s Shot Put – F20: Gold – Sabrina Fortune (Great Britain), Silver – Gloria Agblemagnon (France), Bronze – Poleth Isamar Mendes Sanchez (Ecuador)
• Women’s 800m – T53: Gold – Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland), Silver – Samantha Kinghorn (Great Britain), Bronze – Zhou Hongzhuan (China)
• Men’s High Jump – T47: Gold – Roderick Townsend (USA), Silver – Nishad Kumar (India), Bronze – Georgii Margiev (NPA)
• Women’s 800m – T54: Gold – Manuela Schaer (Switzerland), Silver – Zhou Zhaoqian (China), Bronze – Susannah Scaroni (USA)
• Men’s Discus Throw – F52: Gold – Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy (Italy), Silver – Aigars Apinis (Latvia), Bronze – Andre Rocha (Brazil)
• Women’s 100m – T34: Gold – Hannah Cockroft (Great Britain), Silver – Kare Adenegan (Great Britain), Bronze – Lan Hanyu (China)
• Women’s Javelin Throw – F34: Gold – Lijuan Zou (China), Silver – Caiyun Zuo (China), Bronze – Dayna Crees (Australia)
• Men’s 100m – T44: Gold – Mpumelelo Mhlongo (South Africa), Silver – Yamel Luis Vives Suares (Cuba), Bronze – Eddy Bernard (Malaysia)
• Men’s 100m – T13: Gold – Skander Djamil Athmani (Algeria), Silver – Salum Ageze Kashafali (Norway), Bronze – Shuta Kawakami (Japan)
• Women’s 200m – T35: Gold – Xia Zhou (China), Silver – Qianqian Guo (China), Bronze – Preethi Pal (India)
• Men’s 400m – T53: Gold – Pongsakorn Paeyo (Thailand), Silver – Brent Lakatos (Canada), Bronze – Brian Siemann (USA)
• Men’s 400m – T54: Gold – Yunqiang Dai (China), Silver – Athiwat Paeng-Nuea (Thailand), Bronze – Daniel Romanchuk (USA)
• Women’s Long Jump – T37: Gold – Xiaoyan Wen (China), Silver – Jaleen Roberts (USA), Bronze – Manon Genest (France)
• Men’s 400m – T11: Gold – Enderson German Santos Gonzalez (Venezuela), Silver – Timothee Adolphe (France), Bronze – Guillaume Junior Atangana (RPT)

The day’s events showcased remarkable athleticism and inspiring stories, making it a memorable night at the Paris Paralympics.