With 549 events in 23 sports taking place over the course of 12 days, the 2024 Paralympics in Paris assembles the finest para athletes on the planet. As the games unfold, we spotlight some of the most inspirational sporting stars to know, this summer and beyond.
- Zakia Khudadadi, Para Taekwondo – Born in Afghanistan and now based in France (having been smuggled out of Kabul when the Taliban returned to take power in 2021), Zakia Khudadadi is the first Afghan woman to achieve international success in the para version of the martial art taekwondo. Zakia uses her position to draw attention to the plight of women in Afghanistan and has just made history by winning the Refugee Paralympic Team’s first-ever medal, taking bronze at this year’s Paralympic competition in Paris.
- Gaza Sunbirds, Para Cycling – The Gaza Sunbirds are the first-ever Palestinian para cycling team to compete internationally, cycling in competitions in Belgium, Italy and Kazakhstan in their bid to take part in the Paris Paralympics. However, after the events of 7 October 2023, their dreams took a back seat and they now use their bikes to distribute aid to communities across Gaza, bringing food, water and other essentials to those in need. The team is headed up by Alaa al Dali, who was Palestine’s top professional cyclist when he was shot by an Israeli sniper in 2018 and had to have his leg was amputated above the knee.
- Hannah Cockcroft, Para Athletics – A key player in Great Britain’s 2024 Paralympic team and a multiple medal winner, wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft is the world record holder in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500-metre distances. An active campaigner for the inclusion of British disabled children in school sports, Hannah was awarded an OBE for her services to athletics in 2022. The 2024 Paralympics marks Hannah’s fourth consecutive appearance at the games, and she has won gold in the 100 metres.
- Sheetal Devi, Para Archery – Born with phocomelia, a rare condition that affects the growth of upper and lower limbs, Sheetal Devi is the world’s only international female para archer competing without arms. To overcome her challenges, Sheetal aged just 17, grips her bow with her right foot and uses a shoulder attachment to release her arrows. As part of the Indian Paralympic team in Paris, she made to the final 16 in the individual women’s archery event.
- Najwa Awane, Wheelchair Tennis – In September 2023 Najwa Awane won the women’s wheelchair singles tennis final at the first-ever African Para Games in Ghana, just days after the devastating earthquake that killed 3,000 people in her home country of Morocco. This year, she led the Moroccan Paralympics Team as a flag bearer in the 2024 Games, is one of 13 women in Morocco’s Paris team and takes her place among the 1,983 female para athletes competing, representing 45% of athletes – a record number for the competition.
Simon Coates is a London-based writer and artist whose work has appeared in publications including The New European and Scottish newspaper The National
