As Minerva Athlete Lauren Parker carried the Australian flag to lead the nation’s Paralympians into the closing ceremony, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games wrapped up an extraordinary showcase of athletic excellence where a record 1983 female athletes (45%) competed across 22 sports – the highest number of women competitors ever!
The Australian Paralympic Team did the nation proud, winning 18 gold medals – equalling the number won by our 2024 Olympic Team – plus 17 silver and 28 bronze to bring back 63 glittering medals in total. Our incredible women athletes featured in 10 of the 18 gold medals, winning eight women’s events and two mixed events. And our Minerva Athletes were at the forefront of Australia’s success.
Minerva Athletes’ Glittering Games
One third of Australia’s 68 women para-athletes in Paris are Minerva Athletes and we have been thrilled to cheer on and congratulate these 22 sportswomen who fiercely competed in the green and gold on the world’s biggest stage. These women are the definition of role models and leaders and Minerva is beyond proud to continue to stand beside each and every one to empower them to soar beyond the Games.
Amongst the many memorable performances in Paris, Minerva Athletes achieved some remarkable results.
Lauren Parker became the first paralympic athlete in 44 years to win medals in two different sports, winning gold in both the women's triathlon PTWC and cycling road race H1-4. Lauren also won silver in the Cycling H1-3 Time Trial and was awarded the honour of being Australia’s closing ceremony flag bearer.
Lauren Parker became the first paralympic athlete in 44 years to win medals in two different sports, winning gold in both the women's triathlon PTWC and cycling road race H1-4. Lauren also won silver in the Cycling H1-3 Time Trial and was awarded the honour of being Australia’s closing ceremony flag bearer.
Rachael Watson OAM etched her name in history to win the 500th swimming medal for Australia and became the first Olympian or Paralympian to podium in the 50m freestyle at three consecutive Games! Rachael’s two bronze medals came in the 50m S4 and 100m S3 freestyle.
Amanda Reid OAM, a four-time Paralympian and proud Guringai and Wemba Wemba woman, won Australia’s first gold medal of the Games. Amanda successfully defended her Tokyo title to win the cycling C1-3 500m time trial.
Emily Petricola OAM smashed a new paracycling world record in the C4 3000m individual pursuit on her way to winning gold for Australia. Overcoming a MS flare up just weeks out from the Games, her time of 3:35.856 eclipsed her previous world record from Tokyo by over 3 seconds.
Nikki Ayers combined with teammate Jed Altschwager in the PR3 mixed doubles sculls to achieve Australia's first ever para rowing gold medal, and set a Paralympic record in the process. After leading the pack throughout the final, the Aussies crossed the line almost two seconds ahead of the UK.
Madison de Rozario OAM started her 5th Paralympic Games carrying the Australian flag at the opening ceremony and finished wearing two medals – one silver and one bronze. Her bronze in the 5000m W54 was presented to her by her Minerva Mentor, Australia’s Governor General Her Excellency The Hon Sam Mostyn AC. Madi capped off her Paris campaign winning silver in the wheelchair marathon on the final day of the Games.
Lakeisha Patterson OAM’s silver medal swim in the 400m freestyle was all the more remarkable in light of her neck injury suffered at the start of the year. The three-time Paralympian has medalled at all three Paralympics, claiming 8 medals: 3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze.
Jamieson Leeson’s silver medal in the boccia individual BC3 wrote her name in the history books as the first Australian female to win a Paralympic boccia medal.
Maddie McTernan shone as part of the silver-medal winning relay team in the mixed 4x100m freestyle S14, also finishing top 5 in her individual freestyle and backstroke finals.
Ella Sabljak and Shae Graham along with Emillie Miller earnt a hard-fought rose gold medal in the wheelchair rugby, holding the record for the most women ever to be on the Steelers team. Considering there are only 8 women from all squads from eight different countries, this is a huge achievement.
Susan Seipel paddled her way to a heart-stopping bronze in the para canoe 200m VL2 – winning her third medal from three Paralympics.
“It is bigger than sport, the Paralympics. It is so much more important.” Madison de Rozario OAM
Inspiring Stories and Triumphs
Despite not standing on the podium in Paris, the dedication, resilience and enduring impact of Minerva’s Paralympians shone brightly through their inspirational stories and heartfelt commitment to performing their best for Australia.
Sprinter Rhiannon Clarke not only made the finals in both her track events, she also broke four Australian records at the Games. Rhiannon ran faster than any Australian has before in the T38 400m final, crossing the line in 5th. Rhiannon set a new Oceania and Australian 100m record, placing 4th in the Paralympic final. Since being selected for her first major international competition at just 15 years, Rhiannon has continued to soar. "I want to be the person that I didn't really get to see when I was younger in the media, competing on the international stage of sport.”
Ella Pardy’s attitude after competing in her 3rd Paralympics was pure gold. Despite not advancing to the finals for the first time after running a season's best in her T38 100m heat, Ella regarded her Paralympics as “a win win situation”. “I’m a winner because I got to represent my family, my club and the whole of Australia.”
Melissa Tapper is a dual Olympian and Paralympian, competing in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and achieving a top five Paralympic finish in the women’s singles WS10 and top 10 in the women’s teams event at the Olympics – an extraordinary feat for the talented table tennis athlete.
Rower Al Viney – who placed 5th in her second Paralympics in the mixed coxed four final – spoke about the Paralympic agitos symbol tattooed on her arm as a conversation starter which creates the opportunity for her to explain to people all about this wonderful thing she gets to do as a Paralympian.
What a tremendous achievement for both Maria Strong (F33) and Rosemary Little (F32) to make their respective shot put finals at the Stade de France, while archer AJ Jennings again showed that anything is possible, successfully changing sports to compete in para archery in Paris after winning a silver medal in paracanoe at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Swimmers Jenna Jones and Ella Jones both made Paralympic finals and Katja Dedekind competed in her third Paralympics, making themselves and Australia proud. Overcoming multiple surgeries and setbacks just to make it to the starting blocks in Paris, Katja said, “I am proud of myself for making it onto my third Paralympic team; for making it to the blocks and giving it all I had; for being able to walk away content with my results, my efforts and my preparations.”
Behind the Scenes
The Minerva community rallied to support the athletes from far and near, with some flying the flag in person in Paris.
Minerva co-founder and mentor, Governor General of Australia Her Excellency the Hon Sam Mostyn AC visited athletes in the Paralympic village as well as attending events including cheering on her mentee Madison de Rozario to a bronze medal win in the 5000m.
As Australia’s Paralympic Chef de Mission, Minerva Mentor Kate McLoughlin’s presence was felt throughout the Paralympic campaign.
Minerva Athlete Rachael Lynch was part of the Paralympics Australia support team, while Minerva Mentor Emma Beckman and irrepressible Minerva Legend Natalie Cook OAM were also in France to cheer our athletes on.
Athletes on camera
The Nine Network’s outstanding coverage of the Paralympic Games also placed microphones in the hands of some talented members of the Minerva Network.
Ellie Cole AM, Cate Campbell OAM and Annabelle Williams OAM backed up their stellar on-camera roles at the Olympics with insightful, expert commentary and interviews for the Paralympic Games, showing just how brilliantly athletes’ skills translate from the field into careers beyond sport. Minerva Ambassador Kurt Fearnley AO also added his considerable expertise to Channel 9’s on-air team. Stan’s Paralympics commentary team was also boosted by Minerva Legend Priya Cooper OAM.
Support beyond the Games
While many athletes were thrilled to come away from the Games with medals to show for their hard work and dedication, many did not stand on the podium, despite achieving personal bests or breaking national records.
Minerva Network is privileged to be part of the support systems in place for athletes that help empower them with the resilience and guidance to handle the ups and downs that sport inevitably produces.
As well as one-on-one mentoring and guidance, Minerva’s supportive community of women leaders and male allies provides athletes with access to prospects beyond sport, opening doors to opportunities through the Australia-wide network. Paving the way for continued success in sport and creating pathways for what comes next. All on a pro bono basis.
As we close the chapter on the 2024 Paralympic Games, the legacy of our athletes will endure. Their stories exemplify the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration, and equality. They are role models whose presence and visibility will be instrumental in shaping the future, both in sport and beyond. And Minerva is proud to stand beside them every step of the way.
Minerva Network supports more than 800 Australian women athletes competing in 76 sports, supported by over 350 women mentors on a pro bono basis.
Minerva looks forward to inviting and welcoming more of Australia’s returning Paralympians to the Network to support them in achieving their goals on and off the field. Register here
