When Belgium’s rising star Maxime Carabin took to the finish line at the Stade de France, the packed crowd roared and applauded the new Paralympic champion. While it was raining and far from an ideal condition to compete in, the 23-year-old felt the excitement of competing in front of thousands of fans.
Carabin won his maiden gold medal in the men’s 400m T12 race on 30 August, just hours after he broke the Paralympic record in the morning session. Also the world record holder, the Belgian athlete beat defending Paralympic champion Tomoki Sato by 1.16 seconds.
“It means I am the best in the world right now. OK, I’m the world champion, but I wasn’t the Paralympic champion. Now I am, that means a lot,” Carabin said.
“It was an amazing crowd because the stadium is full. For me, it was the first time with a lot of people and I like it a lot.”
Welcome to Stade de France
Para athletics competition started on Day 2 of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. About 1,060 athletes will compete in 164 medal events, ranging from sprints to marathons, to jumping and throwing events. Stade de France and its now iconic purple tracks will stage some of the hottest actions at Paris 2024.
“The victory ceremony was amazing because everybody stands up for you. The first thing I did at the ceremony? I tasted the medal,” Carabin said. “It tasted like victory.”
For Sato, who was the defending Paralympic champion, the loss to the Paralympic debutant was nothing but a huge disappointment. “I can’t forgive myself,” Sato said as he entered the mixed zone to speak with reporters waiting for him.
“I won gold in the 400m and 1,500m at the Tokyo Paralympics. These Games were important for me because I had the chance to defend my title in the 400m. I’m so disappointed that I didn’t realise my dream at these Games,” said Sato, who is competing at his third Games.
Three years after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics were held without fans because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Japanese athlete embraced all the fans who came to support the athletes.
“The cheering of fans gave me strength. Even in the worst condition because of the rain, I didn’t think about it because the fans gave me power. They gave me the strength and the power to compete until the end,” Sato said.
“I want to work hard for the next Games in four years’ time.”
The 61-year-old Tomoya Ito of Japan took bronze in the race, 20 years after his Paralympic debut at Athens 2004.
“I’ve been to many tournaments. But starting with the heats in the morning, there were so many people watching us and supporting us. Their support is very warm, and it made me feel like I was competing at a home Games.”
The magic purple track
Chinese superstar Xiaoyan Wen captured her sixth Paralympic gold medal, winning the women’s 200m T37 race at the Stade de France. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, she won gold in three events, but this time, she wants to win all four of her events in Paris.
“The atmosphere was very nice. In my group, there was an athlete from France so the atmosphere was even better. The fans were going even crazier,” she said. “The purple colour of the track was like magic – it made me feel comfortable even though I was in a lot of pressure.”
“At the victory ceremony, I will be proud of myself. I will be smiling. I will be shining and I wish everyone will cheer for me.”
Wen is also set to compete in the women’s 100m T37, women’s long jump T37 and 4x100m universal relay.
