Paris 2024: Paralympic stars celebrate one-year anniversary in TikTok Mega Live

To mark the one-year anniversary of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, gold medallists Amy Truesdale, Bo Kramer, Charlotte Henshaw, and Simone Barlaam joined a special @Paralympics TikTok Mega Live.

In the Live, hosted by Paris 2024 Paralympian Maja Theuma on 2 September, the Paralympic stars reflected on their unforgettable experiences in the French capital and shared what they have been up to since the Games.

Meet your Paralympic champions

Amy Truesdale (Great Britain, Para taekwondo)

Bo Kramer (Netherlands, wheelchair basketball)

Simone Barlaam (Italy, Para swimming)

Charlotte Henshaw (Great Britain, Para canoe)

Happy one-year anniversary! 

Q. Happy one-year anniversary! What are your thoughts on this special milestone?

Simone Barlaam:

Today is one year since I won my first gold at Paris 2024, and just by looking at the photos and even listening to the anthem and the music from Paris 2024, I get the feelings—the goosebumps—back.

It’s kind of a bittersweet feeling because you’re happy it happened and you still don’t believe it, but there is a part of you that wants to feel the emotions all over again. Hopefully, it will happen again in the future.

Watching the videos that @Paralympics and the International Federations post, like the throwbacks, and even the memes, brings us a good laugh and good memories of one year ago. But now, as athletes, we have to move on to our new goals, new things to achieve. So, it’s back to training.

Bo Kramer: 

We won the gold medal in Paris, which was amazing. I won it on 8 September, which is almost a year ago, so I get all the memories back on my Instagram and Snapchat about what everything that happened the last year. 

Q. Looking back, what was it like to compete at Paris 2024 with the crowds back?

Charlotte Henshaw:

We are based in Europe, so for us, it was relatively easy for our family and friends to get to Paris. We got it really nicely that my family and friends could pop over the English Channel and come and support. That was amazing.

I think that was a huge difference from Tokyo (2020) to Paris (2024). I didn’t realise how much we’d missed the crowds until we got them back in Paris. Tokyo was incredible, and they did an amazing job in the situation (with the Covid-19 pandemic) we had then.

But what we had in Paris—it was just so nice to have them back and supporting Paralympic sport. The crowds we got in Paris were so amazing, and I’m grateful to the French public for supporting us so well, because it was unbelievable.

Simone Barlaam:

I actually got the chance at the beginning of this year to go back to see the Tokyo 2020 pool. The pool was super alive. It was really cool to see the legacy of the Paralympic Games there.

Competing at Paris was surreal for me as well. I remember when I raced against Ugo and Hector from France. When they were entering the stage, these guys (the crowd) were so loud. The people—they were really cheering.

Paralympic Village and chocolate muffins

Q. What was your experience at the Paralympic Village like? Did you try the popular chocolate muffins that were viral on social media?

Amy Truesdale:

It’s embarrassing for me because everyone was going on about these muffins, and I was like, ‘I’ve had every dessert in that canteen.’ I liked the lemon meringue pies, the cookies—I was going for it and really enjoyed it.

For me, it sounds strange, but my favourite part is being in the canteen, especially with Para athletes. Watching different athletes—like how athletes with vision impairment do day-to-day activities—I find it unbelievable. That’s a memory that I’ll take with me, just how unbelievable everything we do is.

Charlotte Henshaw:

I try to explain to my friends without disabilities what a Paralympic Village is like. And I don’t think you can fully describe it.

Obviously, we are surrounded by other Para athletes every day, but you don’t walk down the street and see many people with disabilities. Then to go into an environment where able-bodied people are almost outnumbered—it’s the most bizarre but amazing experience. I remember thinking how everything works so well—things are adapted and you don’t have to think about things not being accessible. There’s a solution to everything.

I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if the actual real world was a bit more like this? Then we wouldn’t have to think about 5 million things before leaving the door.’ That was one of my favourite things about the Paralympic Village.

Bo Kramer:

I remember the first time going to the dining hall—my first Paralympics was Rio 2016, so I was 17 years old. The first time I walked into the dining hall, I was not ready for what was there. In a way, there were so many people with disabilities I didn’t know of. I had no clue what was going on, but in my head, it was kind of a switch moment where my biggest life lesson is, ‘Everybody at the Paralympics is achieving their dream, either by winning medals or just by being there.’

I was there, at the moment, thinking, ‘Everybody here is achieving their dream, so I will never have an excuse to not believe in the fact that I can achieve my dreams too.’ I think it would be very, very helpful for the rest of the world without a disability to go and sit there in the dining hall. Just have a look around and enjoy everybody who is achieving their dreams. It was beautiful. That’s why I tell people outside the Paralympics to come (to the Games).

One year since the golden Games

Q. How has the one year since Paris 2024 been?

Charlotte Henshaw:

For me, Paris 2024 was the first time that I had the opportunity to race in two events. I knew I had the opportunity to go for two medals, which was a new challenge for me, and obviously the ultimate dream was to win both of them. I never anticipated that this would happen, but when it did, I felt like this might be, in terms of results, the pinnacle of my career. I might never be able to do this again. I’d love to try, but the beauty of sport is that you can never guarantee that.

After Paris 2024, I’ve had to find a real reason why I wanted to carry on, because just going and trying to win another gold medal wasn’t enough anymore. Paris released a lot of that self-pressure, and I felt more free racing this year.

I hope that what Paris did is start to increase the profile of our sport, and that’s a really important thing that we need to build on between now and LA28—to try to get more people involved and spread the word, because we’re trying to grow it as a sport, and that’s what I’m most proud of now. That’s my job now: to try and make Para canoe a heavy hitter in the Para sport world.

Q. What did you learn from your experience at the Paralympic Games?

Bo Kramer:

I think it really taught me that if you want something and if you work very hard for it, then you can achieve it. I think that is a skill you can use for the rest of your life.

I am also doing a study besides being a pro athlete, which can be very challenging at times. But it also shows me that if you have the motivation—that you want something—you can achieve it, not only with sports, but also in your study, within a family, or whatever. It really gave me skills that I can use for the rest of my life.

Finding the spark

Q. What is your message for the next generation of Para athletes?

Amy Truesdale:

If you are new to Para sport, there are so many amazing role models in different sports. Just ask for advice. My inbox is always open to people. I reply to everyone. So if you have any questions about how you can develop yourself and how to overcome challenges, just make sure you’re asking your peers and your mentors those questions, because people are there to help.

Simone Barlaam:

I get the honour of sharing the pool with some of them—some Italian future Para athletes who are very promising and convincing for the future of our sport. My advice, especially for youngsters, including kids, is to try everything and see what gives you the spark—the joy we feel when we do our thing.

Always keep an open mind and try different things. Once you find your thing, you have to focus and give it all you’ve got if you want to get some results from it, because nothing comes easy and nothing is granted, especially in the sport world.

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