Para Biathletes at Paris 2024: Triumph of determination
In Paris 2024, Oksana Master defended her cycling titles from the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games, increasing her Olympic medal count across four sports to 19. Kendall Gretsch won a silver medal in the triathlon, and Pavlo Bal a bronze medal in the Road Race. Andrea Eskau, Benjamin Daviet, and Aaron Pike added to Para biathletes' stellar performance in Paris.
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Oksana Master: The Superstar
Ukrainian-born American multi-sport Paralympic athlete Oksana Masters repeated her phenomenal road race-individual time trail double gold from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Paris 2024.
“It feels so incredible to defend my Paralympic title. To come out here and have the race I knew I could have makes it extra special. I’m completely speechless - I feel like I’m on cloud nine. It was an honest, hard-fought performance, and I’m just so proud of how I rode for Team USA.”
She also won a gold medal in the 6km sitting and 12.5km sitting at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Masters has competed in seven Paralympic Games across summer and winter, excelling in rowing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, and cycling. She made history at the 2012 Summer Paralympics by winning the first-ever U.S. medal in trunk and arms mixed double sculls, securing a bronze medal alongside her partner, Rob Jones.
And how does Masters explain winning medals in the winter and summer sports?
“I just want to show that if you want to do more than one sport, you can do more than one sport. Whether it’s your first or your ninth time [winning a gold medal], never give up. I’m just so lucky to have a team behind me that helped me get here.”
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Kendall Gretsch: A golden triathlete and biathlete
American Kendall Gretsch won a silver medal in the PTWC Paratriathlon - where the athletes swim 750 meters, use a handcycle for the 20 km distance cycling segment, and a wheelchair for the 5 km run. Gretsch made her Paralympic debut at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, winning a gold medal in the 6km sitting biathlon. Gretsch became a double biathlon Paralympic champion by winning in the 10km at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. In her first appearance at the Summer Paralympics - in Tokyo 2020 - Gretsch won gold in the PTWC paratriathlon, edging out reigning world champion Lauren Parker by just one second. With this win, she became one of only five Americans to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics.
Pavlo Bal: Adding to Ukraine's 82 medals hunt in Paris 2024
Pavlo Bal of Ukraine finished third in the H5 men’s road race. Bal is a Para biathlon world champion in 12.5km sitting from the World Championships Lillehammer 2021.
“It takes consistent hard work, discipline, and desire to win a medal. You need to work and train, train properly. Moreover, Para Cycling is a different sport for me. I have just started with it, so I had to work extremely hard to achieve the result.”
Bal also explained the substantial difference between preparing for the Winter and Summer Paralympic Games.
“Compared to the Winter Games, the whole training process was different. It was more difficult for the simple reason that in winter sports, there is a team around you. As an athlete, only have to train and show the result. In cycling, my coach and I had to do a lot of organisational work and solve issues because we were the first ones in Ukraine, and there was no one to ask anything from. So we learned. We made mistakes. We worked. And in the end, everything worked out.”
Andrea Eskau: Her Paralympic legend keeps growing
German Andrea Eskau, a true Paralympic legend, finished fourth in the H5 women’s road race. She won a gold medal in biathlon in the Winter Paralympic Games Sochi 2014 (6km sitting) and PyeongChang 2018 (10km sitting, 12.5 km sitting). Eskau won an Olympic gold medal in Para Cycling in Beijing 2008 (road race), London 2012 (time trial, road race) and Rio 2016 (road race).
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Benjamin Daviet: Choosing biathlon and rowing
With Perle Bouge, Benjamin Daviet from France finished fifth in the PR2 Mixed Double Scull at the Paralympics Paris 2024. Daviet competes in the standing category and has represented France at the Winter Paralympic Games Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022, winning in the 7km standing in PyeongChang and in 12.5km standing in PyeongChang and Beijing.
Aaron Pike: The marathon man
Aaron Pike from the US, finished seventh in the T54 men's marathon at the Paralympics Paris 2024. In his adaptive sports career, he initially focused on wheelchair racing, competing in the 1,500m, 5,000m, and marathon events at the London 2012 Paralympics. He competed in the Summer Paralympic Games London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024 and the Winter Paralympic Games Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022.
Photo: Olympic Information Services
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