Fourty three year old, Barbara Wins Her Fifth Paralympic Gold, WR for Ben and Benjamin

Day nine of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opened in spectacular fashion, with two world records and a fifth Paralympic gold for Poland’s Barbara Bieganowska-Zajac in the T20 1500m race. The day also saw stellar performances in the S14 100m backstroke events in swimming arena.

Barbara’s Historic Fifth Gold in the T20 1500m

Forty-three-year-old Barbara Bieganowska-Zajac clinched her fifth Paralympic gold in Paris, maintaining her dominance in the T20 1500m, a race she has now won in four consecutive Games. Known for her tactical brilliance, Barbara led early, followed by Liudmyla Danylina (UKR), Antonia Keyla Da Silva Barros (BRA), and Hanna Taunton (GBR). However, it was her trademark final-lap sprint that left her competitors trailing by a wide 50-meter margin, securing gold with a time of 4:26.06.

Barbara reflected on her approach to the race,

“When I’m running, I hear the competitors breathing. Those breathing hard don’t have the strength, but those who run as calm as I do still have reserves. I knew I was well-prepared.”

Despite falling just short of breaking her world record, Barbara remained optimistic, “It’s a pity I couldn’t break the record, but let’s never say no. I still have a game in Los Angeles, and I would love to go for my sixth Paralympic medal.”

The silver medal went to Ukraine’s Liudmyla Danylina, marking her second Paralympic silver, while Brazil’s Antonia Keyla Da Silva Barros captured bronze in her Paralympic debut.

Keyla’s First Paralympic Medal – “Worth More Than Gold”

For Keyla, her bronze medal marked a major milestone as the first Paralympic medalist from Piauí, Brazil. Overcoming injuries and limited preparation, she shattered her own American record with a time of 4:29.40.

“This medal is worth more than gold for me. The fight I had to put in just to be here—it doesn’t compare. I was considered crazy for wanting to run, but I wasn’t going to let my dream die.” Keyla shared, visibly emotional. 

Keyla also dedicated her victory to fellow Brazilian athlete Jessica Messala, offering words of encouragement,

“Her day will come, and it will be beautiful.”

Ben Sandilands Shatters World Record in T20 1500m

In the Men’s T20 1500m, Paralympics debutant Ben Sandilands of Great Britain stunned the field, breaking the world record with a time of 3:45.40 and defeating Rio 2016 champion Michael Brannigan (USA). Sandilands surged ahead in the final 200 meters, overpowering Brannigan and securing his first Paralympic gold.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve done a lot of work. I have to say thank you to my family and friends and the National Lottery. I knew I had it in me from all my training. I’ll celebrate with my family and friends,” Sandilands said.

Although he missed the top spot on the podium by just milliseconds, Brannigan remained upbeat about the experience.

“I fought through hard for that medal, I was happy with how it went. I took it out strong from the start, and I knew Ben would quicken with 200 meters to go. He took off, and I tried to catch him. I fought really hard, fast, and full to the finish,” Brannigan reflected.

“The crowd here has been amazing, and having my family up in the stands cheering me on really meant a lot. It was a good performance, and I’m pleased with it.”

Sandro Baessa of Portugal took silver, clocking in at 3:49.46, narrowly edging out Brannigan by milliseconds. Baessa moved to tears after the race, said,

“I’m very happy. I have prepared very well for these Games and I managed to finish by setting my personal best. I will continue working to keep improving my time.

“When I finished, I was given a Portugal flag. I’m not one to cry much, but today I couldn’t hold back the tears.

“I don’t have a lot of stamina like my rivals. The best I could do was to try to keep up with them. That’s what I tried to do. I know I have a good final sprint and even if I didn’t manage to surpass them all, I did manage to win a silver medal and I’m very happy with that.” 

WR in Swimming for Benjamin Hance

Benjamin Hance (AUS) also broke the World Record in the heats for S14 100m Backstroke with a time of 56.52sec, and will be diving into the finals this evening. His supporters will just have to wait and watch if he can shatter his own record in the finals.