As the Paris 2024 Paralympics come to a close, the Paralympics GB team will be bringing home 124 medals, 49 of which being gold. More than half of the 215 athletes on the team reached the podium, showcasing their dominance across a broad range of events. Seven para athletes from Essex represented Paralympics GB at the games, with five out of the seven coming home with a medal!
Former Colchester based para trooper, Jaco Van Gass, was the first from Essex to grace our screens, taking part in an impressive five cycling events on the road and in the velodrome on the track. Jaco impressed in the Men’s Pursuit C3 and Mixed 750m Team Sprint C1-5 track events, winning a gold medal in both, adding to his already impressive tally of Paralympic medals. Jaco overcame a blast that saw him lose the use of his left arm at the elbow and 11 operations later, he’s proving that anything’s possible with five Paralympic medals now to his name.
Ellie Challis, born in Little Clacton, was next up, this time in the swimming pool, aiming to continue her success on the Paralympic stage after an impressive silver in Tokyo aged just 16. Ellie lost all four of her limbs to meningitis at a young age and her journey to becoming a world-class swimmer and being able to compete at the speeds she does with above knee amputations on both of her legs and a below amputation on both arms is simply remarkable. Ellie’s hard work and resilience over the past three years is clear to see as she swam her way to an amazing Paralympic gold medal in the Women’s 50m backstroke S3 Final, beating second place by five seconds! Ellie also narrowly missed out on bronze, placing fourth in the Women’s 100m freestyle S3.
Jonathon Broom-Edwards from Colchester headed to this year’s games hoping to add to his two Paralympic medals from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Despite an impressive lead into the games and a World Championship gold medal to his name, Jonathon was unable to repeat this success, placing fifth in the Men’s High Jump T64 Final.
Zoe Newson, also from Colchester, was competing in the fourth consecutive Paralympic games of her career in the women’s powerlifting competition. Zoe already has two Paralympic bronze medals in this event to her name and one upped herself this year as she pushed her way to a silver medal in the Under 45kg category! As a person living with dwarfism, Zoe has no shame and is the perfect example of a can-do attitude not letting anything get in her way, hoping to inspire people through her attitude towards her disability.
On the penultimate day of the games, Didi Okoh, who trains at Chelmsford Athletics club competed in the Women’s T63 100 metre final. With Paris 2024 being Didi’s debut Paralympic Games, in front of 60,000 spectators, Didi ran the race of her life to win herself a truly inspiring bronze medal.
Ed Clifton from Chelmsford, also making his Paralympic debut at Paris 2024 fought his way to the final of the Men’s VL2 200 metre Para Canoe event. With just three years of experience in this discipline, despite not finishing with a medal to his name, the fact he reached the final of the tightly contested event with a highly talented field of entrants is a great achievement in itself!
Heading to the third Paralympic Games of her career, Saffron Walden para canoeist and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion, Laura Sugar, aimed to win big again at this year’s games. Her continued run of good form proved too impressive to disrupt as on the last day of the games she won herself a gold in her KL3 Para Canoe 200m Final!
These inspirational para athletes from Essex have once again proved their exceptional talent and determination at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Significantly contributing to Paralympics GB’s impressive medal haul, their success reflects not only their hard work and resilience but the strength of inclusive sport in the region. From Jaco Van Gass’ double golds on the cycling track, to Laura Sugar’s continued dominance in para canoeing, these athletes have inspired us all and their achievements are a testament to their dedication and the support of the communities behind them.
Each of these athletes have overcome their own barriers or struggle to get to where they are today, and found an activity that’s right for them to help them achieve what some might call the impossible. The Paralympics are a perfect reflection of our #FindYourActive campaign, allowing us to highlight the programme which aims to help people find a form of physical activity that suits them. As the games come to a close, the legacy of these Essex athletes will continue to shine, encouraging future generations to pursue their own sporting dreams, helping break down barriers into sport and physical activity.
#FindYourActive and find more information about activities near you here: https://www.activeessex.org/find-your-active/
