ParalympicsGB finish second in medal table – as closing ceremony kicks off

ParalympicsGB won four more medals on the final day in Paris to end with 124 medals – 49 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze.

It puts them second in the table – behind a dominant China – for a third successive Paralympics.

The games ended with a closing ceremony in the Stade de France, wrapping up an epic summer of sport in Paris with a spectacular light show during an event dominated by French electronic music.

Britain ended Sunday with two more golds and two silvers.

Laura Sugar won the 200m kayak KL3, with Charlotte Henshaw and Emma Wiggs getting gold and silver respectively in the KL2 kayak class.

There was more success in the water as Jack Eyers came second in the va’a VL3 class.

The 49 golds are eight more than the team achieved in Toyko – and they won medals in 18 of the 19 sports they entered.

More than half of the 215 British athletes who competed ended up on the podium.

Team boss Penny Briscoe OBE said beating the Tokyo performance was “testament to our incredible athletes, coaches and support staff and the years and months of dedicated hard work they all put in”.

“Every Paralympic Games we see competition from around the world getting tougher and tougher, so to return home with so many fantastic performances from across the entire team really is so special,” she said.

The stellar showing peaked on day four, when the team won 12 golds – the most in any single day this century.

Debutant Poppy Maskill was the most successful athlete for ParalympicsGB, winning three golds and two silvers in the pool.

Other highlights included 13-year-old Iona Winnifrith coming second in the 100m breaststroke SB7, Dame Sarah Storey – at age 46 – winning two more para-cycling golds, and Hannah Cockroft getting a ninth gold in the para-athletics.

Archer Jodie Grinham also claimed a gold and bronze while seven months pregnant – believed to make her the first openly pregnant athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics.

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