Reactions from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Rowing Medalists

In five spectacular finals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Regatta, a total of nine nations picked up medals. We caught up with some of the winners after their races.

Israel’s Moran Samuel was the first to claim gold at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium when she overcame the reigning Paralympic Champion. Samuel said;

 “It means a lot of hard work, dedication, determination and perseverance, not just of me. Of my wife, of my children, and the whole country of Israel. I had the bronze in Rio, silver in Tokyo. I had these two (Birgit Skarstein and Nathalie Benoit) to race over and over again, and lose over and over again, to win this one race, which was the most important one.”

It was bronze for France’s Nathalie Benoit in the last race of her career. Speaking after her race, Benoit said;

“It was the best race of my career. I was really determined, as it was my last race. I told myself that whatever happens I should savour every moment and make the most of every stroke. At the end I turned around and did a bad stroke, but really it was a race I savoured. It’s the first time in my career that I’ve been able to savour a race like that, even through the pain.”

In the PR1 men’s single sculls, it was the first of three gold medals for Great Britain when Benjamin Pritchard took the win. Pritchard was still in shock after the race;

“It hasn’t sunk in. I’m elated. The biggest thing (was) about removing the outcome from the whole process, and today was a culmination of that. We did my process, my race plan, and look what paid off. The outcome is special. I’ve got friends, I’ve got family, I’ve got half of Swansea in that stand. I can’t wait to go celebrate with them.”

The next gold medal for Great Britain came in the next race when a perfectly timed races from Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson saw them surge to the lead and Rowles became a three-time Paralympic Champion;

“I don’t think you could put into words how much it means. A couple of years ago when we finished Tokyo and I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve just won my second’, I thought, ‘can it be done, the third?’

“There were only two people who could do it. Me and Roman (Polianskyi, Ukraine) in the single. I called up Gregg (Stevenson) and I said, ‘I think I want to do it, do you think you’ll do it with me?’ And he was crazy enough to say yes.”

The final sprint from Great Britain allowed them to overtake China, who had led for most of the race. Shuang Liu said;

“It’s really exciting. We are old friends and old enemies with the British boat. It’s a pity we couldn’t win gold.”

 Australia prevented Great Britain from making it a hat trick when Nikki Ayers and Jed Altschwager became the first ever Paralympic Champions in the PR3 mixed double sculls. Asked what the medal means, Ayers said;

“It’s a symbol of hope and never giving up on your dreams. For every person out there with a disability, male, female, everyone. Never give up and keep striving for your dreams and it’ll come true.”

It was bronze for Germany after Great Britain beat them in a photo finish by 0.12 seconds. Germany’s Jan Helmich said;

“It’s a great feeling despite the result not being quite what we wanted. It was a very, very close finish. We put in a good race, we executed our plan and in the end the others were slightly better. We still get to go home with a medal.”

Great Britain were firm favourites in the last race of the competition, the PR3 mixed four, having been unbeaten in this boat class since 2010. They added another gold to their tally today, the third gold for Great Britain. Cox Erin Kennedy spoke about what it was like to come in as favourites and also the strength of the British team;

“I see it as a help, because I’d far rather be chased than chasing. For me it also gives me trust in the athletes around me. We’ve got multiple world, European, Paralympic champions in the boat already, plus a support network, staff, coaches, physios, who know what it takes to win. We’re not guessing, we know what we need to do. On those really tough days we can just rely on their experience and lean into it rather than run away from it.”

It was silver for the USA in this boat class and Emelie Eldracher spoke about the pride she felt representing her country;

“It’s an unreal honour to be able to represent your country, and to be able to walk away with a medal with a boat that’s just been unified from the beginning is surreal. We went out there and did it together, and we couldn’t ask for a better group of people to do it amongst.”

In the closest finish of the day, France beat Germany to the line by 0.06 seconds to take the bronze in this boat class and Gregoire Bireau credited the French supporters for that bronze medal.

“At the start we didn’t think it would be an advantage. We thought it was a rowing race, it’s 2000 metres on a lake. But it was really an advantage. Today we really felt the fans pushing us. I think the six hundredths are partly thanks to them.”