11 Medals in One Day: Ukraine’s Paralympic Success on August 31

On August 31, 2024, the third day of the Paris Paralympic Games, Ukrainian athletes secured 11 medals, marking one of the most successful days for the national team. Notably, the athletes achieved two double podium finishes, showcasing their high level of preparation and determination in the pursuit of medals.

The first double podium for Ukraine came from shot putters Volodymyr Ponomarenko and Roman Danyliuk in the F12 classification. Ponomarenko won the silver medal, setting a personal best with a throw of 16.12 meters, while Danyliuk earned the bronze.

On the track, Yegor Dementiev claimed silver in the 4000-meter individual pursuit final (C5 classification), bringing Ukraine its first medal in this discipline.

In swimming, Yaroslav Denysenko won a bronze medal in the men’s 100-meter backstroke (S12 classification). In the women’s event, Hanna Stetsenko secured silver in the same distance and added a bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle (S13 classification).

Anton Kol won bronze in the 50-meter backstroke (S1 classification), marking his second medal at these games, having previously finished third in the 100-meter backstroke.

The second double podium for Ukraine was achieved by swimmers Andrii Trusov and Yevhenii Bohodaiiko in the 200-meter individual medley final (SM7 classification). Trusov, who holds the current world record in this discipline, won the silver medal, while Bohodaiiko took the bronze.

Twenty-six-year-old Marina Piddubna won bronze in the 50-meter freestyle (S11 classification), while another Ukrainian, Kateryna Tkachuk, narrowly missed qualifying for the final, falling short by just 0.17 seconds.

In table tennis, Viktor Didukh and Iryna Shynkaryova won bronze in the mixed doubles (XD17 classification), marking Ukraine’s first-ever medal in this discipline at the Paralympic Games.

Rowers Yaroslav Koiuda and Anna Alsanova finished second in the repechage of the mixed doubles (PR2 classification), qualifying for the medal final. Stanislav Samoliuk and Daria Kotyk also reached the final, finishing second in their repechage (PR3 classification).

Thus, after three days of competition, the Ukrainian team has secured 19 medals: 1 gold, 9 silver, and 9 bronze, placing 20th in the overall medal standings.

The 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris will continue until September 8, with 140 Ukrainian athletes competing in 17 sports.