When the Paralympics came to an end on 5th September, it felt like the start of a new era for Paralympics GB. And even though they failed to match Rio's medal haul, four more medals were won in Tokyo than in London 2012. Some memorable moments included GB winning the gold medal in the Wheelchair Rugby and Sarah Storey's record breaking 17th gold in the Women’s Road Race C4-5 event. After finishing 2nd in the medal table, only behind China, the Head of Paralympics GB claimed that the athletes had 're-written the history books' and Peter Wells of the Guardian hailed that 'they have embodied what it means to be British'.

 

One of the older members of the squad was wheelchair racer David Weir. At 42 years old, Weir has competed in all Paralympic games since 1996, winning a total of 6 gold medals in Beijing and London. He was born locally in the London Borough of Sutton with a spinal cord transection meaning his legs couldn't function. A talented wheelchair racer, he took part in the marathon twice before winning it on his third try in 2001. After competing in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Paralympics, Weir won gold in 2008 in both the 800m and 1500m T54 event. In 2012, he won three golds: in the 800m, 5000m and the marathon. Nicknamed the 'Weirwolf', Weir set up the Weir Archer Academy in Kingston with his coach back in 2013 to support future Paralympic medallists. He has been inspiring disabled athletes in South West London ever since to achieve through sport.

 

The importance of strong role models like Weir is evident to see - Ellie Robinson brought tears to the nation's eyes with her heart-felt speech in an interview with Channel 4. She idolised fellow Paralympics GB teammate, Ellie Simmonds, and it was Simmonds' triumphs that encouraged her to continue in the pool. Before long, she was on the podium in Rio 2016. Despite not winning a medal in Tokyo, she told her incredible story which will hopefully inspire many more Paralympic athletes.

 

A prominent example of the growth and promise was the Team GB Wheelchair Rugby team who, against all odds, took home the gold medal in a historic win for the Brits. It wasn't an easy road to Tokyo, however. After an impressive 5th place finish in Rio, the sport had its funding cut before an appeal to overturn the decision was rejected. Despite emergency money being granted to the team, it was very late in the build-up. Beating the USA, the most successful country in this discipline, speaks volumes about the achievements of Paralympics GB. Whilst the ability has most definitely improved, so has the media coverage. 1 million people tuned in to watch David Smith retain his BC1 Boccia world title in an incredible comeback against Malaysian Chew Wei Lun. Channel 4 produced over 300 hours of coverage and allowed fans to view over 1,000 hours in more than 16 live streams.

 

The growing participation and interest in the games is evident across the world. More countries than ever before not only streamed and broadcasted the Paralympics but also travelled to Tokyo to compete in 539 events in 22 sports. In fact, the difference in the number of nations competing in the 2021 Paralympics compared to the 1990 Paralympics is more than 100. There were many new faces to the Paralympics GB team who proved to be very successful. 56% of the athletes making their debut at the games won a medal for Team GB, showing the promise and talent of the young sportsmen and women. There were also a lot of experienced names in the group, Lee Pearson in para-equestrian and husband and wife, Neil and Lora Fachie. But Sarah Storey stole the headlines as she became the most celebrated Paralympian of all time, after winning gold in the women's Road Race with Crystal Lane-Wright taking silver. That takes her gold medal tally up to 17, the highest number of golds for any Olympian or Paralympian. Overall, Britain won medals in 18 of the 19 sports they participated in - only failing to get onto the podium in Shooting.

 

Many people think that 'paralympics' stems from the word 'paraplegic' as initially Sir Ludwig Guttman formed the Stoke Mandeville Games as a way to rehabilitate his paraplegic patients. However, 'para' derives from the Greek preposition meaning 'alongside', suggesting the Paralympics intended to be parallel to the Olympic Games. Now that Sarah Storey is becoming just as well-known as famous GB Olympians like Dame Kelly Holmes, it finally feels that the Paralympics, and specifically Paralympics GB, has achieved its goal. And hopefully, continued media interest can secure vital funding for the future Paralympic stars of Team GB; perhaps, thanks to David Weir's investment, some of those will also rise from South West London.