Paris 2024: Jiang Yuyan grabs seventh gold, Jessica Long takes 18th title on last day

After 10 days of Para swimming under the impressive atmosphere of the La Defense Arena, the Paris 2024 action came to an end on Saturday (7 September) with some of the stars of the Paralympic Games returning to the top of the podium.

China’s Jiang Yuyan, known as the “Flying Fish”, took her seventh gold at Paris 2024 setting a world record in the women’s 100m backstroke S6 final to cement her position as the most successful athlete at this year’s Paralympic Games.

In her sixth Games, USA’s Para swimming legend Jessica Long added an epic 18th Paralympic title in the women’s 100m butterfly S8.

"I got excited when the competition finished but now I've calmed down," said the 19-year-old Yuan, who clocked 1:04.88 in the 100m backstroke S6. "I'm not thinking of more medals, but just thinking about swimming faster to get good times."

Meanwhile, Long was looking forward to updating her social media profiles once again.

"Seventeen sounds nice but I can't wait to change it to 18 gold medals."

The USA star looked in disbelief when she saw her name in first place in the 100m fly. 

"It was shocking. I was just so tired. Alice Tai (of Great Britain) and I were talking about that in the call room about how tired we were. I had no idea where anyone was, so when I touched the wall and you saw me quickly turn, I was like, 'I won?' I had no idea. It was amazing. “

A full capacity of nearly 14,000 spectators witnessed another two world records fall on the last day and another podium sweep for the Chinese.

Italy claimed the last Para swimming gold at Paris 2024 improving their own world record in the 4x100m freestyle relay – 34 points (4:01.54). The team was formed by Simone Barlaam, Xenia Palazzo and couple Giulia Terzi and Stefano Raimondi.

Raimondi also triumphed in the men’s 200m individual medley SM10 earlier in the evening, while Terzi picked bronze in the women’s 50m butterfly S7 (gold to Canada’s Danielle Dorris).

Neutral Para Athlete Daria Lukianenko lowered a six-year-old world record en route to gold in the women’s 100m freestyle S11 (1:04.88).

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Saturday’s podium sweep came in the women’s 200m individual medley SM5, a He Shenggao victory followed by compatriots Lu Dong in silver and Cheng Jiao in bronze.

It was also a special evening for Greece’s Alexandra Stamatopoulou who claimed her first-ever Paralympic title on her birthday on Saturday. The Greek also announced she is retiring from the pools after Paris.

"I was surprised because I didn't think I could be first. I thought I would be in third place or fourth place because I saw so many good athletes and my head was not in a positive way,” she said. “I feel great, I want to cry every time."

China topped the medal table in Para swimming at Paris 2024 with 22 golds and 54 podiums, followed by Great Britain (18 golds, 32 in total) and Italy (16 golds, 37 in total).

All medallists of the final Para swimming session on Saturday, 7 September at La Defense Arena can be found below.

Men's 200m Individual Medley - SM10 Final
Gold: Stefano Raimondi (Italy)
Silver: Col Pearse (Australia)
Bronze: Ihor Nimchenko (Ukraine)

Women's 200m Individual Medley - SM10 Final
Gold: Zhang Meng (China)
Silver: Bianka Pap (Hungary)
Bronze: Lisa Kruger (Netherlands)

Men's 100m Backstroke - S6 Final
Gold: Yang Hong (China)
Silver: Wang Jingang (China)
Bronze: Dino Sinovcic (Croatia)

Women's 100m Backstroke - S6 Final
Gold: Jiang Yuyan (China)
Silver: Ellie Marks (USA)
Bronze: Shelby Newkirk (Canada)

Men's 100m Butterfly - S8 Final
Gold: Alberto Amodeo (Italy)
Silver: Wu Hongliang (China)
Bronze: Yang Guanglong (China)

Women's 100m Butterfly - S8 Final
Gold: Jessica Long (USA)
Silver: Viktoriia Ishchiulova (NPA)
Bronze: Alice Tai (Great Britain)

Men's 50m Butterfly - S7 Final
Gold: Andrii Trusov (Ukraine)
Silver: Carlos Serrano Zarate (Colombia)
Bronze: Egor Efrosinin (NPA)

Women's 50m Butterfly - S7 Final
Gold: Danielle Dorris (Canada)
Silver: Mallory Weggemann (USA)
Bronze: Giulia Terzi (Italy)

Men's 50m Backstroke - S4 Final
Gold: Roman Zhdanov (NPA)
Silver: Angel de Jesus Camacho Ramirez (Mexico)
Bronze: Arnost Petracek (Czechia)

Women's 50m Backstroke - S4 Final
Gold: Alexandra Stamatopoulou (Greece)
Silver: Gina Boettcher (Germany)
Bronze: Lidia Vieira da Cruz (Brazil)

Men's 100m Butterfly - S12 Final
Gold: Stephen Clegg (Great Britain)
Silver: Dzmitry Salei (NPA)
Bronze: Raman Salei (Azerbaijan)

Women's 100m Freestyle - S11 Final
Gold: Daria Lukianenko (NPA)
Silver: Liesette Bruinsma (Netherlands)
Bronze: Zhang Xiaotong (China)

Men's 200m Freestyle - S3 Final
Gold: Umut Unlu (Turkiye)
Silver: Denys Ostapchenko (Ukraine)
Bronze: Serhii Palamarchuk (Ukraine)

Women's 200m Individual Medley - SM5 Final
Gold: He Shenggao (China)
Silver: Lu Dong (China)
Bronze: Cheng Jiao (China)

Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay - 34 Points Final
Gold: Italy
Silver: Australia
Bronze: USA