How Team South Africa performed at the Paralympics on Sunday, 1 September 2024.
PARA ATHLETICS
Men’s 100m – T44 – Final
Star sprinter Mpumelelo Mhlongo kicked off Team SA’s medal count at the 2024 Paralympics in style—with a GOLD! On Sunday night, in front of a packed Stade de France, the men’s T44 100m world record holder crossed the finish line in 11.12 seconds to claim the top spot.
Women’s 1500m – T11 – Round 1 Heat
Team SA’s Louzanne Coetzee finished 2nd in her morning heat with a season’s best time, fast enough to qualify her for the Final.
She will compete in the Final on Monday, 2 September
Women’s Discuss Throw – F46 – Final
Team South Africa’s Yane van der Merwe faced a challenging day in the discus event, registering three failed throws for a “No Mark” result in her Paralympics appearance.
Men’s High Jump – T47 – Final
Team South Africa’s Khumo Pitso finished in 5th position with a New African Record jump of 1.98m in his first-ever Paralympics appearance.
Women’s Long Jump – T37 – Final
Team SA’s Liezel Gouws finished 8th in the long jump event with a leap of 3.62m.
She will next compete in the T37 400m Final on Tuesday, 3 September.
Men’s 100m – T64 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Paul Daniels finished 4th in his heat, setting a New African Record. Unfortunately, his time was just 0.01s outside the fastest times needed to qualify for the final.
He will next compete in the T62 400m Final on Friday, 6 September.
Men’s 100m – T64 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Paul Daniels finished 7th in his heat, in a time that was, unfortunately, outside of the fastest times required to qualify for the final.
He next competes in the T62 400m Final on Friday, 6 September
Men’s 100m – T63 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Puseletso Mabote won his heat with a time that equaled the Paralympic Record (12.05), qualifying for the Final on Monday, 2 September
PARA ARCHERY
Men’s Individual W1 1/8 Elimination Round & Quarter Final
Shaun Anderson’s 2024 Paralympics journey ended with a mix of pride and emotion at the Esplanade de Invalides. Competing in his third Games, the Team SA archer narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to China’s No.1 seed, Tianxin Zhang, 136-134, after an impressive upset against Turkey’s No.6 seed, Yigit Aydin, 133-132.
Reflecting on the experience, the 51-year-old said, “I couldn’t be prouder. Competing against the best in the world as the 34th-ranked archer is something special.” Shaun credited the crowd’s energy for pushing him through, joking about celebrating with a couple of beers later.
Despite the close loss, he’s not ruling out another shot at the Games, saying, “I don’t use the word ‘can’t.’ My hashtag is #i’mpossible. If you put your mind to something, you can do it.”
Who knows? We might just see him in Los Angeles in 2028.
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
Men’s Singles – Second Round
Team South Africa’s Alwande Sikhosana was eliminated from the competition after a 1–6, 0–6 loss to his Japanese opponent.
Men’s Quad Doubles – Semi Final
Team South Africa’s doubles duo, Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi, lost in two sets (1–6, 1–6) to their highly-ranked Dutch counterparts.
They will compete in the Bronze medal match on Wednesday, 4 September.
