The 2024 Paris Paralympics, a quadrennial event celebrating the pinnacle of athletic achievement for athletes with disabilities, has commenced with a stunning display of world-record breaking performances. Over the first four days of the competition, close to 40 world records across various sports have been shattered, signifying the remarkable athleticism and dedication of these exceptional individuals.
Para track cycling has emerged as a particularly record-breaking sport, with 15 new world records set in the first days. With a week remaining before the 17th edition of the Paralympics concludes, the total number of world records is expected to increase significantly.
Here is a list of the world records broken so far at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games:
Archery
*
Women’s Individual – W1 – 72 Arrow Ranking Round
* New WR: Sarka Pultar Musilova (CZE) – 659 points
* Old WR: Jessica Stretton (GBR) – 657 points (Beijing, 2017)
*
Women’s Individual Compound – Open – 72 Arrow Ranking Round
* New WR: Oznur Cure Girdi (TUR) – 704 points
* Old WR: Phoebe Paterson Pine (GBR) – 698 points (Oxfordshire, 2024)
*
Mixed Team Compound – Open – 144 Arrow Ranking Round
* New WR: Sheetal Devi & Rakesh Kumar (IND) – 1399 points
* Old WR: Sarita & Rakesh Kumar (IND) – 1398 points (Pilsen, 2023)
Athletics
*
Men’s 100m T38
* New WR: Jaydin Blackwell (USA) – 10.64s
* Old WR: Jaydin Blackwell (USA) – 10.72s (Miramar, 2024)
*
Men’s 5000m T11
* New WR: Julio Cesar Agripino Dos Santos (BRA) – 14:48.85s
* Old WR: Yeltsin Jacques (BRA) – 14:53.97s (Kobe, 2024)
*
Men’s Long Jump T11
* New WR: Di Dongdong (CHN) – 6.85m
* Old WR: Lex Gillette (USA) – 6.73m (Mesa, 2014)
*
Men’s Long Jump T63
* New WR: Joel de Jong (NED) – 7.68m
* Old WR: Joel de Jong (NED) – 7.67m (Leverkusen, 2024)
*
Men’s Shot Put F53
* New WR: Giga Ochkhikidze (GEO) – 9.66m
* Old WR: Abdelillah Gani (MAR) – 8.84m (Marrakech, 2024)
*
Men’s Javelin Throw F38
* New WR: Jose Gregorio Lemos Rivas (COL) – 63.81m
* Old WR: Jose Gregorio Lemos Rivas (COL) – 61.76m (Santiago, 2023)
*
Women’s 100m T38
* New WR: Karen Tatiana Palomeque Moreno (COL) – 12.26s
* Old WR: Sophie Hahn (GBR) – 12.38s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Women’s Javelin Throw F12
* New WR: Zhao Yuping (CHN) – 47.06m
* Old WR: Zhao Yuping (CHN) – 46.00m (Dubai, 2019)
*
Women’s Club Throw F32
* New WR: Maroua Ibrahmi (TUN) – 29.00m
* Old WR: Roza Kozakowska (POL) – 28.77m
Rowing
*
Mixed Double Sculls – PR2Mix2x
* New WR: Lauren Rowles & Gregg Stevenson (GBR) – 7:56.92s
* Old WR: Lauren Rowles & Gregg Stevenson (GBR) – 8:00.57s (Belgrade, 2023)
*
Mixed Coxed Four – PR3Mix4+
* New WR: Great Britain (Francesca Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Josh O’Brien, Ed Fuller, Erin Kennedy) – 6:43.68s
* Old WR: Great Britain (Francesca Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Morgan Fice-Noyes, Ed Fuller, Erin Kennedy) – 6:47.29s (Varese, 2023)
Cycling
*
Men’s C1 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Li Zhangyu (CHN) – 3:31.338s
* Old WR: Mikhail Astashov (RPC) – 3:35.954s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Tristan Bangma (NED) – 3:55.396s
* Old WR: Tristan Bangma (NED) – 3:58.397s (Rio de Janeiro, 2024)
*
Men’s C2 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Alexandre Leaute (FRA) – 3:24.298s
* Old WR: Alexandre Leaute (FRA) – 3:25.888s (Glasgow, 2023)
*
Men’s C3 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Jaco van Gass (GBR) – 3:15.488s
* Old WR: Jaco van Gass (GBR) – 3:17.593s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Men’s C4 4000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Archie Atkinson (GBR) – 4:17.700s
* Old WR: Jozef Metelka (SVK) – 4:22.772s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Men’s C2 1000m Time Trial
* New WR: Alexandre Leaute (FRA) – 1:07.944s
* Old WR: Alexandre Leaute (FRA) – 1:08.358s (Rio de Janeiro, 2024)
*
Men’s C3 1000m Time Trial
* New WR: Jaco van Gass (GBR) – 1:04.825s
* Old WR: Devon Briggs (NZL) – 1:05.259s (Rio de Janeiro, 2024)
*
Men’s C5 4000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Dorian Foulon (FRA) – 4:13.934s
* Old WR: Dorian Foulon (FRA) – 4:18.274s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Women’s B 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Sophie Unwin (GBR) – 3:17.643s
* Old WR: Lora Fachie (GBR) – 3:19.483s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Women’s C2 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Daphne Schrager (GBR) – 3:45.133s
* Old WR: Daphne Schrager (GBR) – 3:51.721s (Glasgow, 2023)
*
Women’s C3 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Wang Xiaomei (CHN) – 3:41.692s
* Old WR: Greco Paige (AUS) – 3:50.815s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Women’s C4 3000m Individual Pursuit
* New WR: Emily Petricola (AUS) – 3:35.856s
* Old WR: Emily Petricola (AUS) – 3:38.061s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Women’s C1 500m Time Trial
* New WR: Qian Wangwei (CHN) – 40.878s
* Old WR: Qian Wangwei (CHN) – 41.113s (Glasgow, 2023)
*
Women’s C3 500m Time Trial
* New WR: Mel Pemble (CAN) – 38.512s
* Old WR: Aniek Van Den Aarssen (AUS) – 39.093s (Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, 2022)
*
Women’s C5 500m Time Trial
* New WR: Caroline Groot (NED) – 35.390s
* Old WR: Caroline Groot (NED) – 35.599s (Tokyo, 2021)
Swimming
*
Men’s 200m Freestyle – S14
* New WR: William Ellard (GBR) – 1:51.30s
* Old WR: Reece Dunn (GBR) – 1:52.40s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Men’s 100m Backstroke – S12
* New WR: Stephen Clegg (GBR) – 59.02s
* Old WR: Aleksandr Nevolin-Svetov (RUS) – 59.35s (London, 2012)
*
Men’s 150m Individual Medley – SM2
* New WR: Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo (BRA) – 3:15.06s
* Old WR: Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo (BRA) – 3:23.83s (Sheffield, 2023)
*
Men’s 200m Individual Medley – SM6
* New WR: Yang Hong (CHN) – 2:37.31s
* Old WR: Yang Hong (CHN) – 2:37.53s (Hangzhou, 2023)
*
Women’s 50m Freestyle – S9
* New WR: Christie Raleigh-Crossley (USA) – 27.28s
* Old WR: Sophie Pascoe (NZL) – 27.32s (Auckland, 2019)
*
Women’s 50m Freestyle – S10
* New WR: Chen Yi (CHN) – 27.10s
* Old WR: Aurelie Rivard (CAN) – 27.37s (Rio de Janeiro, 2016)
*
Women’s 50m Freestyle – S11
* New WR: Ma Jia (CHN) – 28.96s
* Old WR: Ma Jia (CHN) – 29.20s (Tokyo, 2021)
*
Women’s 100m Butterfly – S14
* New WR: Poppy Maskill (GBR) – 1:03.00s
* Old WR: Olivia Newman-Baronius (GBR) – 1:03.33s (London, 2024), Valeriia Shabalina (RUS) – 1:03.33s (Sotchi, 2022)
*
Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay – 20 Points
* New WR: People’s Republic of China (Peng Qiuping, Yuan Weiyi, Jiang Yuyan, Guo Jincheng) – 2:14.98s
* Old WR: People’s Republic of China (Cheng Jiao, Yuan Weiyi, Jiang Yuyan, Guo Jincheng) – 2:27.45s (Manchester, 2023)
This incredible display of athleticism and determination has made the Paris Paralympics 2024 an event to remember. As the games progress, it will be fascinating to see how many more world records are broken and how these remarkable athletes continue to inspire us all.