Paris 2024: Barlaam clinches second gold in front of special audience

It was a surreal moment for Italy's Simone Barlaam when he clinched his first Paralympic gold in men's 100m butterfly at the Paris La Defense Arena on Friday (6 September).

Paris-based orthopaedic surgeon Professor Philippe Wicart, the doctor who performed the miracle surgery to save Barlaam's leg, was present in the crowd when the Para swimmer won his second Paralympic gold in Paris. The 24-year-old from Milan had earlier won the men's 50m freestyle S9 gold with a world record effort.

"It hasn't been an easy year for me because at the beginning of the year I had a problem with my good leg, and I was even struggling to walk at certain points. So this is a very big and important medal for me, and the second individual gold medal at these Paralympics. Very, very surreal," said Barlaam who finished the men's 100m butterfly S9 final with an European record time of 57.99.

On having the doctor who saved his leg in surgery in the crowd, the 18-time world champion said: "Incredible, incredible. Thinking that 12 or 13 years ago I go I was here in this very city, with him, in a very different location. It feels very surreal."

In other events of the day, China's Jincheng Guo won his fourth gold in Paris 2024 Paralympics winning the men's 50m butterfly S5 final clocking a world record time of 30.28.

Guo's compatriot Dong Lu won her fourth gold medal in Paris 2024, winning the women's 50m butterfly S5 final in a world record show of 38.17    

Canada's Sebastian Massabie won his first Paralympic gold clocking 35.61 - which set a new world record - in men's 50m freestyle S4 final.

Their women counterpart was equally impressive. USA's Leanne Smith won her second gold at Paris with a world record effort of 40.03 in women's 50m freestyle S4 final.

Japan's six-time world champion Keiichi Kimura won the men's 100m butterfly S11 final in a Paralympic record time of 1:00.90.

The medallists from day nine of Para swimming competition at the Paris La Defense Arena are:

Men's 400m Freestyle S6 Final
Gold: Talisson Henrique Glock (BRA)
Silver: Antonio Fantin (ITA)
Bronze: Jesus Alberto Gutierrez Bermudez (MEX)

Women's 400m Freestyle S6 Final
Gold: Yuyan Jiang (CHN)
Silver: Nora Meister (SUI)
Bronze: Maisie Summers-Newton (GBR)

Men's 50m Butterfly S5 Final
Gold: Jincheng Guo (CHN)
Silver: Weiyi Yuan (CHN)
Bronze: Lichao Wang (CHN)

Women's 50m Butterfly S5 Final
Gold: Dong Lu (CHN)
Silver: Shenggao He (CHN)
Bronze: Sevilay Ozturk (TUR)

Men's 100m Backstroke S10 Final
Gold: Olivier van de Voort (NED)
Silver: Stefano Raimondi (ITA)
Bronze: Thomas Gallagher (AUS)

Women's 100m Backstroke S10 Final
Gold: Bianka Pap (HUN)
Silver: Alexandra Truwit (USA)
Bronze: Emeline Pierre (FRA)

Men's 100m Butterfly S9 Final
Gold: Simone Barlaam (ITA)
Silver: Timothy Hodge (AUS)
Bronze: Lewis Bishop (AUS)

Women's 100m Butterfly S9 Final
Gold: Christie Raleigh-Crossley (USA)
Silver: Zsofia Konkoly (HUN)
Bronze: Emily Beecroft (AUS)

Men's 100m Backstroke S14 Final
Gold: Benjamin Hance (AUS)
Silver: Gabriel Bandeira (BRA)
Bronze: Mark Tompsett (GBR)

Women's 100m Backstroke S14 Final
Gold: Poppy Maskill (GBR)
Silver: Valeriia Shabalina (NPA)
Bronze: Olivia Newman-Baronius (GBR)

Men's 50m Freestyle S3 Final
Gold: Umut Unlu (TUR)
Silver: Denys Ostapchenko (UKR)
Bronze: Josia Tim Alexander Topf (GER)

Men's 50m Freestyle S4 Final
Gold: Sebastian Massabie (CAN)
Silver: Takayuki Suzuki (JPN)
Bronze: Ami Omer Dadaon (ISR)

Women's 50m Freestyle S4 Final
Gold: Leanne Smith (USA)
Silver: Tanja Scholz (GER)
Bronze: Rachael Watson (AUS)

Men's 100m Butterfly S11 Final
Gold: Keiichi Kimura (JPN)
Silver: Danylo Chufarov (UKR)
Bronze: Uchu Tomita (JPN)

Men's 100m Freestyle S8 Final
Gold: Callum Simpson (AUS)
Silver: Noah Jaffe (USA)
Bronze: Alberto Amodeo (ITA)