Remembering The Unforgettable Moments From The Pool At The Paris Paralympics

Elizabeth Marks competed in her third Paralympic Games this summer in Paris and came home with five medals, tying her and teammate Christie Raleigh Crossley as the most decorated U.S. athletes at the Games.

With her latest haul — which included three individual medals and two from relays, all of them silver — Marks now has a total of 10 Paralympic medals.

Her performance in the 50-meter freestyle S6 was particularly memorable. Marks, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, set a new American record in the morning heats, then finished the final with a time of 32.90, just behind China’s Jiang Yuyan, who won gold in 32.59. The performance secured Team USA’s first medal in Paris.

Watch the groundbreaking moment here.

Then, at the end of the competition, Marks, who’s a sergeant first class in the U.S. Army and a member of the World Class Athlete Program, was chosen along with wheelchair basketball athlete Paul Schulte by their U.S. teammates to carry the American flag at the Closing Ceremony. 

The U.S. swim team ended up third among all countries with 30 medals, including 10 gold, but the highlights in Paris went beyond the results. Here’s a look at some of the other memorable moments from U.S. swimmers in Paris:

Stickney Triumphs In New Classification

Much has changed since Morgan Stickney won individual gold in Tokyo in the women’s 400-meter freestyle S8. As the rare vascular condition that has taken parts of both of her legs has worsened, she spent almost as much time in the hospital as out this past year. She was also reclassified.

Yet, the Cary, North Carolina, native proved successful in her bid to represent the United States in Paris, then won gold in the 400 free yet again, though this time in S7. Racing against teammate McKenzie Coan, the defending champion in the event and class, Stickney built up a massive lead en route to not only a gold medal but also a new Paralympic record. Coan took second to give Team USA the top two spots on the podium. Stickney also came home with a silver medal in the 100 free S7.

Coan Overwhelmed After Silver Performance

For Coan, the enormity of reaching the podium after what she called the most difficult year of her life so far hit her during her post-race interview. 

You can read more about Coan’s year, what she had to overcome to get to Paris and what drove her to make her fourth Paralympic team here.

Austin’s Emotional Farewell

Four-time Paralympian Evan Austin had one of the most memorable moments of the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo when he won his first medal in three Paralympic appearances, earning gold in the men’s 50-meter butterfly S7. In Paris, Austin finished just off the podium in fourth place in the 50 fly and 400 free, a race in which he won bronze in Tokyo. His emotional post-race interview following the 50 fly — where he was two-tenths of a second away from bronze — as the 32-year-old from Terre Haute, Indiana, acknowledged it being his last Paralympic swim ever might get you a little choked up. 

Mama Mallory goes back-to-back

Mallory Weggemann came into Paris as the defending champion in the 200-meter individual medley SM7 and her sights set on making it two in a row. She was in the lead after the first transition and from there on out it was her race to lose. Weggemann was firmly in control, finishing with a big lead, a new Paralympic record (breaking what she herself set in Tokyo) with a time of 2:53.29, and her first medal as a mother. She blew kisses and waved to her daughter in the arms of her tearful husband in the stands, showcasing the moment they'd dreamed about for many, many years.

"To be able to bring home gold and have this moment where she's going to get to see her mama sit atop a Paralympic podium is everything but it's also just this reminder that this is so much bigger than me," she said. 

A First For Team USA

The final event of Day 2 of competition was the mixed 4x50 freestyle 20 points, which features athletes with greater levels of impairment generally between the S3 and S7 classifications. The team of Leanne Smith, Abbas Karimi, Zach Shattuck and Ellie Marks was on fire, winning silver for Team USA’s first-ever medal in the event. It was also the first Paralympic medal for both Karimi — an Afghanistan native who competed on the Refugee Paralympic Team prior to becoming a U.S. citizen and joining Team USA — and Shattuck.

Raleigh Crossley Makes Big Debut

Christie Raleigh Crossley earned her first Paralympic bid over the summer, and by the time the Games were over no U.S. athlete had more hardware to show for their efforts. Raleigh Crossley tied Marks as the most decorated members of Team USA in Paris with five medals apiece, two of Raleigh Crossley’s were of the gold variety. Check out their second gold in this video of the women’s 100-meter butterfly S9, in which the Toms River, New Jersey, native took an early lead and never looked back to win by over a second and a half and set a new Paralympic record of 1:05.19. 

Smith Lowers World Record With Surprise Gold

Leanne Smith came into her final event in Paris, the women’s 50-meter freestyle S4, seeded eighth. Normally racing in the S3 classification, the Salem, Massachusetts, native was up against swimmers with greater function, and she came from behind to beat them all and win the race in 40.03 seconds for her second gold of the Games (she was also the winner in the 100 free S3). In doing so, she also lowered her own S3 world record. 

Chambers Crushes Field In Paralympic Debut

Olivia Chambers didn’t leave anything in the pool in her first Paralympic final. Racing in the women’s 400-meter freestyle S13, the Little Rock, Arkansas, native built up a big lead early on, and the distance expert used her training to keep the pace. Italy’s Carlotta Gilli gave chase, but Chambers was uncatchable as she cruised to her first Paralympic gold medal and the second of the Games for the U.S. swim team. Chambers, who swims collegiately for Northern Iowa, ultimately went home with a gold and two silver medals.

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.