00:00Representing India, 17-year-old Sheetal Devi came in as the world number one.
00:08She started off with perfect precision.
00:10Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the moments
00:14from the 2024 Summer Paralympics that got the internet talking.
00:19And the pregnancy is just an added thing on top. There's another barrier
00:22that realistically goes along with my life of different barriers.
00:2510. Sarah Adam becomes the first woman to rep the U.S. in wheelchair rugby
00:40Jeez, Sarah, can you leave some accomplishments for the rest of us?
00:43Not only is the Paralympic wheelchair rugby star an Associate Professor of Occupational
00:48Science and Occupational Therapy at St. Louis University, but oh yeah,
00:52she's a groundbreaking athlete who helped shepherd the U.S. to a silver medal at Paris 2024.
01:05Adam, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while in grad school,
01:08commented in 2024 that quote,
01:11Any time I was walking, it was really slow. I was getting really fatigued and tripping
01:15and falling a lot and hurting myself. Not that you would know it from her Paralympic performance,
01:20wherein Adam became the first woman to score for her U.S. team.
01:24It's been great. My teammates from the beginning have really embraced me.
01:27You know, I've been working hard to earn a spot on this team and make sure that I'm seen as
01:31an athlete first, but absolutely an honor to be named as the first female to compete.
01:369. Dame Sarah Story speaks out
01:39We've got some quotes to bring you as well. She said,
01:42It's a short race. This is the shortest Paralympic time trial we've ever had.
01:47And I think it's a real shame because we don't get to showcase Paris sport in the way we want to.
01:53You might be familiar with this Paralympic cyclist slash swimmer's long and storied career.
01:58Sorry, no pun intended. Story was already the most lauded British Paralympian of all time,
02:03and Paris 2024 continued her streak, winning her 18th gold medal.
02:08Here's the problem, though. Paralympics organizers made the baffling decision to
02:12cut the women's cycling course to under half of that of the corresponding men's race.
02:16After having won the gold medal, Story didn't hesitate to speak up,
02:20saying that, quote,
02:21There's plenty of time in the day for us to do two laps like the men.
02:24And having fought so hard for parity in women's cycling,
02:27to not have it in Paris cycling after what we had in Glasgow last year is a real disappointment.
02:32I hope they never do this to the women again, because it has been appalling.
02:37So Sarah Story, they're absolutely using her platform just after that race to talk
02:41about that and criticize that lack of what she says is gender parity.
02:46Number 8. Sabrina Fortune Breaks the Shotput World Record
02:49Words really can't explain how over the moon I really am.
02:53Like, it's been since last night just like a dream that's just come true, really.
03:00We'll be getting into the British onslaught of gold medals in a little bit, but for now,
03:04we just have to draw specific attention to F20 Shotput Paralympic champion Fortune.
03:09After winning bronze at Rio 2016, Fortune climbed to the top of the ranks at Paris 2024
03:15and won Great Britain their second gold medal of that day.
03:19After I got my bronze in like Rio, I was like,
03:22to get a gold, to do something like that, it'd be incredible.
03:26I was like, ah, will I get it? I don't know.
03:29And then Tokyo happened and I came sixth and I was like, I want to quit.
03:34Commenting on the jaw-dropping circumstances of her win,
03:37Fortune was quoted as saying, quote,
03:39I still cannot believe it, especially on the first throw.
03:43I was expecting about 14 meters, just a simple throw.
03:46Then I hit the world record.
03:48Indeed, Fortune set a new world record, beating her own previous record by 29 centimeters.
03:54It was so bad at that time, mental health, everything around that time was just bad.
03:59And I was like, well, am I not good enough?
04:01And I was like, you know what?
04:02If I give up now, what's the point of trying so far?
04:06Number seven, Maisie Summers-Newton goes gold, not once, but twice.
04:11You're here so I can make you better at what you do, by freeing your mind.
04:15Give me a chance.
04:16I suppose.
04:17You do know I won two gold medals at the last Paralympics, right?
04:21Uh-huh.
04:22This British S6 swimmer has a lot to write home about after Paris 2024.
04:26The winner of two gold medals at Tokyo 2020 in the 100 meter breaststroke
04:31and 200 meter individual medley, respectively,
04:34Summers-Newton defended her titles in both categories in 2024.
04:38And when we say defended her titles, we really mean it.
04:42The decorated swimmer won gold again,
04:44finishing just over five seconds ahead of American silver medalist Ellie Marks.
04:49Described as the face of British paraswimming by British newspaper The Independent,
04:54Summers-Newton spoke to the press about the difficulty of beating her overwhelming self-doubt,
04:58as well as the intense pressure that comes with a gold medal.
05:02Looks like she needn't have worried much at all.
05:04And I'm a six-time world champion.
05:07Be that enough, may she?
05:08Absolutely not.
05:09So work with me then!
05:11Number six.
05:12Australia takes gold in the 4x100 mixed medley in shocking upset.
05:17Theirs is a classic underdog story.
05:19And don't we all love having someone in that position to root for?
05:22In a moment that absolutely no one could have initially predicted,
05:26the Australian team bested the favored Dutch team in a shocking turn of events
05:30that saw them overcome a seven-second lead to win the gold medal.
05:34Australia has swimmer Alexa Leary to thank for the extraordinary victory,
05:38the result of a stunning anchor leg.
05:40Leary demonstrated that she has the makings of a Paralympic superstar
05:43by also meddling to the tune of gold in the 100-meter freestyle.
05:47Leary later reflected, saying, quote,
05:49All right, I'm gonna have to weapon myself out here.
05:52We gotta take home the gold.
05:54Number five.
05:54Team GB wins 12 medals in a single day.
05:58Paris 2024 has been a pretty good time to be a Paralympian, to say the least.
06:02For a bit of context, Paralympics GB had their best day this century
06:06during the 2024 Paralympic Summer Games,
06:09winning 12 gold medals in a single day, Sunday, September 1st.
06:13According to Sky News, this surpasses the previous daily record,
06:17which was nine at both Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016.
06:22The aforementioned Sabrina Fortune was one of those extraordinary medalists,
06:26as well as mixed team sprinters Kadena Cox, Jaco Van Gass and Jody Cundy.
06:30The streak continued with three golds in rowing,
06:33as well as four in swimming, including Summers Newton.
06:37These victories, among others, put Great Britain at second place overall,
06:41having earned 23 golds, 12 silvers and eight bronzes.
06:46Number four.
06:46The internet marvels at blind long jumpers.
06:50Online commentators who were unfamiliar with the T11 category at the Paralympics,
06:54in which visually impaired athletes compete,
06:56discovered a whole new level of excellence at Paris 2024.
07:00Chinese jumper Di Dongdong proved to be a thrilling introduction to the sport,
07:04breaking a decade-old world record previously set by American jumper Lex Gillette.
07:09Di had previously won gold at the Tokyo edition of the Games,
07:13defending his title and setting the record with a breathtaking 6.85 meters jump.
07:18Commenting on his win, Di was humble but clearly overjoyed,
07:22stating that, quote,
07:23the world record has been my target for a long time.
07:26Getting the world record here was unexpected.
07:28That makes me even more delighted.
07:31Number three.
07:32Jody Grinham takes home team gold while seven months pregnant.
07:36It was never the intention, you know, to do it as an inspiration or to show women it can be done.
07:41It was a decision my partner and I made because that was what was best for our family.
07:45To paraphrase an old sci-fi movie you may or may not have seen,
07:49never tell this para-archer the odds.
07:52Grinham, a 31-year-old Welsh woman,
07:54was born with disabilities that initially made it impossible
07:57for her to meet able-bodied archery requirements.
07:59I know what it's like to make a Games. I know what it's like to miss a Games.
08:02And I know what it's like to have a baby and lose a baby.
08:05And those are things in your life that you can't help and you can't change.
08:09So I wanted to be able to do both.
08:11Undeterred, she and her father Simon devised a system allowing her to grip the bow
08:15without it being physically attached to her body, an essential aspect of archery.
08:20To make her achievement even more remarkable,
08:22Grinham competed while seven months pregnant with her second child at the Paris 2024 Paralympics,
08:28making her the first known Paralympian to do so.
08:31And the pregnancy is just an added thing on top.
08:33There's another barrier that realistically goes along with my life of different barriers.
08:38Number two, Zakia Hudadadi becomes the first ever refugee Paralympic team medalist.
08:43She played taekwondo at her home at the age of 11 and then
08:47she went on to become an athlete for the Paralympic team in Afghanistan.
08:52This Afghan para taekwondo star is unstoppable.
08:55From Herat province, Afghanistan, Hudadadi has made history with a series of groundbreaking
09:00achievements inspired by Ruhollah Nikba, the only Afghan athlete to win an Olympic medal.
09:06Although Hudadadi represented Afghanistan at the 2020 Summer Paralympics,
09:10her participation in Paris 2024 was initially in jeopardy.
09:14As you see, it comes at that moment where Taliban have announced a law that
09:19restricts many movements of women, voices of women in the country.
09:24Fortunately, she was evacuated from Afghanistan and went on to win bronze.
09:28With this victory, Hudadadi became the first female Afghan Paralympian since 2004,
09:34the first female Afghan athlete to compete internationally since the 2021 Taliban offensive,
09:39and the first member of the refugee team to medal.
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09:59Number 1. Sheetal Devi's Yusuf Dikech moment
10:02Representing India, 17-year-old Sheetal Devi came in as the world number one.
10:08She started off with perfect precision.
10:11Just to be clear, any comparisons to Turkish sports shooter Dikech are meant to highlight
10:16Devi's remarkable precision and unflappable demeanor.
10:19Devi, an Indian para-archer born with the rare congenital condition Focomelia,
10:24which resulted in her being born without arms,
10:26defied all expectations by winning bronze at Paris 2024.
10:31Doctors had initially told her she would never compete due to the lack of suitable prosthetics
10:35for her condition, and her coaches had never trained an athlete without arms.
10:39Devi won the internet's heart with her bravery and determination,
10:42and we can't wait to see what she accomplishes next. Did we mention she's only 17?
10:48What was your favorite moment from the Paris 2024 Paralympics? Let us know in the comments below.
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