Paris 2024: Best wheelchair fencing moments

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were packed with memorable moments, including athletic feats and historic firsts, that took place at stunning venues in front of a vocal crowd.  

We will share three moments from each sport that made the Games very special.

Top moment

Thailand’s Saysunee Jana became the first female wheelchair fencer to win all three individual events at one edition. Competing at her sixth Paralympic Games, the 50-year-old Jana won the women’s sabre, foil and epee category B events at the Grand Palais.

“I’m very happy. I knew I had to do the best I could in what I knew,” she said after capturing her third gold medal. “I didn’t hope at first to win three times, because all my opponents were very strong and it was a tough match.”

Jana arrived in Paris with two gold, a silver and three bronze medals. At Tokyo 2020, she picked up one medal, a bronze in the women’s epee category B competition. 

Jana shared what it meant to win three golds in Paris. 

“For Thailand, I’m going to become the queen of fencing,” she said with a smile.

“Fencing is my life. Fencing changed my life. It changed my life from not having a lot, to having a family, to changing everything.”

Biggest surprise

Iraq took silver in the men’s epee team event on 7 September. The team of Ammar Ali, Zainulabdeen Al-Madhkhoori and Hayder Al-Ogaili captured the country’s second Paralympic medal in wheelchair fencing. 

The team beat Great Britain 45-39 in the semifinals before losing to China 45-36 in the gold medal match. 

“It’s amazing. We worked a lot. This medal – it didn’t come by chance. We spent a lot of time outside our country and leave our families,” said Ali, who won Iraq’s first ever Paralympic wheelchair fencing medal at Rio 2016.

In Rio, Ali finished won silver in the men’s individual epee category B competition.

Home hero

The French team of Ludovic Lemoine, Damien Tokatlian and Maxime Valet defeated No. 1 seeds Italy in the men’s foil team bronze medal match. The French team had the support of the crowd throughout the bout at the Grand Palais.

“We won on the piste, they won in the stands and we all won together,” said Valet, who captured his third straight bronze in the event.

“(Each medal) they’ve all got their own flavour, a slightly different flavour. But here, at home, and because it’ll be the last for us three (Valet, Tokatlian and Lemoine) as a group, frankly, it’s very beautiful.”