If you’ve been watching the 2016 Paralympics in Rio (as we have) you are probably just as bummed as we are the the games are over. We have been following the buildup of the games for months and have been progressively diving into some of the events, including:
- Paralympic Table Tennis (Ping Pong)
- Paralympic Boccia (Bocce)
- Paralympic Sitting Volleyball
- Paralympic Wheelchair Fencing
We have also covered the everything from paralympic wheelchair design to amazing athletes like Will Groulx, who changed sports from wheelchair rugby to handcycling this year.
After more than a week of events, heartbreak and countless celebrations by athletes, the games have sadly come to an end. If you haven’t been able to watch, here’s what you missed.
An Opening to Remember
The games kicked off on September 7th with a great ceremony in Rio, the highlight of which was a pyrotechnic-filled show that ended with Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, a WCMX wheelchair master taking off down a six-story high ramp and launching into a full somersault through a large ring.
If you missed the opening of the 2016 Rio Paralympics, you can see the highlights from the ceremony here.
Total Medal Counts
China cleaned house this year by earning more than double the amount of medals as every other country in the games (save for Great Britain, who came in second). China’s total medal counts were 107 gold, 81 silver and 51 bronze.
In second place was Great Britain (64 gold, 39 silver, 44 bronze), in third place was Ukraine (41 gold, 37 silver, 39 bronze) and the United States placed in fourth overall (40 gold, 44 silver, 31 bronze).
Looking Ahead
The next paralympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan in 2020. Before that, the winter games will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018. Until then, we will just have to wait until the fun starts again.
Did you watch any of the 2016 Rio Paralympics? What were your favorite moments? Let us know in the comments below!