Paralympics 2024: Great Britain match Tokyo haul with four medals on final day in Paris

Finishing with a flourish: Canoeists Charlotte Henshaw and Laura Sugar both won gold on the final day in Paris (Reuters)
Finishing with a flourish: Canoeists Charlotte Henshaw and Laura Sugar both won gold on the final day in Paris (Reuters)

Great Britain matched their medal haul from Tokyo on the final day of the Paris Paralympics, but achieved eight more golds.

GB - set a target of between 100-140 medals by UK Sport - finished another successful Paralympics with a total of 124 medals, the exact same number as they achieved in the delayed 2021 Games to finish second in the overall table behind runaway leaders China and ahead of the United States - the same top three as Tokyo.

However, they increased their collection of golds from 41 to 49, with Laura Sugar winning the last of this year’s medals as she successfully retained her women's KL3 200m title.

There was also gold for fellow British canoeist Charlotte Henshaw earlier on day 10, winning the women’s KL2 200m at Vaires-sur-Marne for the second Games in a row having already triumphed in the VL3 event on Saturday. Fellow Briton Emma Wiggs took silver.

There was also a silver medal on the final day for former Mr England Jack Eyers in the men's 200m VL3.

Earlier on Sunday, Britain’s legendary six-time gold medalist David Weir finished fifth in the men’s T54 marathon and subsequently announced his retirement from the Paralympic Games.

"It was quite emotional at the end because this will be my last race for GB," said Weir, who won four of his six Paralympic golds on home soil at London 2012.

"I'll still do the major marathons, I still enjoy doing them, but it'll be my last international. My body just couldn't cope with it today. It's an age thing, I was the oldest in the field.

"I am still highly competitive and still trying to beat Daniel (Romanchuk, the 26-year-old American athlete who finished fourth) who is half my age, I could be his dad! I'm still doing all right. I gave it my all today."

The Paralympic Games officially end with the closing ceremony in Paris on Sunday night, for which Matt Bush and Poppy Maskill have been selected as the GB flagbearers.

Bush won gold in the K44+80kg men’s taekwondo just after Amy Truesdale had claimed GB’s first-ever Paralympic title in the sport.

Swimmer Maskill, meanwhile, claimed a total of five medals in Paris, winning three golds in the women’s S14 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly and in the mixed 4×100m freestyle relay. She also claimed silver medals in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley.