Paralympic medallists were welcomed by fans and family who met their flight at London Heathrow on Tuesday morning. It is then followed by the United Kingdom and Ukraine, with 64 and 41 medals respectively.
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More than 7,000 professionals from more than 70 different countries worked for OBS during the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As she touched down, the Queen described the achievements of Britain’s Paralympic athletes as a “magnificent performance” in a message sent to the sportsmen and women. “I send my good wishes to all those who have contributed to the success of these memorable Games”.
Sports minister Tracey Crouch said the competitors had been an inspiration to millions and confirmed there would be two celebratory parades.
“I don’t know whether a medal haul like this is ever going to be possible again”, said Cundy. I was very excited.
On board the flight, GB Para canoeist Anne Dickins observed “the world is better with bunting”.
“It hasn’t really hit home yet”, he said. We’re hoping that that will be effected today, Sunday. I’ve never been home on a gold-nosed plane before.
“When I was diagnosed with my condition I sat in my hospital bed and decided I wanted to go to Rio”.
Turkish female weightlifter Nazmiye Muratli displays her gold medal in Rio.
I got the medals, but being able to spread a message is way more important than the medals. It was 20 years in the making. “We wanted to continue the momentum and we smashed it”.
A Paralympic biography said Golbarnezhad was born in Shiraz, Iran.
It overshadowed a Paralympics that dealt with a funding and doping crisis to be a success, saving the Games experience for the Brazilian public after the scandal-marred Olympics.
The UAE Paralympic team returned to a hero’s welcome after a record-breaking campaign in Rio on Monday.
Incredible performances from Michael McKillop (gold), Eoghan Clifford (bronze and gold), Colin Lynch (silver), Ellen Keane (bronze), Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal (gold and silver), led the team the whole way through to the penultimate day.
There was amazement in the 1,500m track race when Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka set a new record that was actually faster than the winning time by Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz in the same stadium a month earlier. The 32-year-old has competed at three Summer Paralympic Games and has won a bronze in the London Paralympics edition.
“The ParalympicsGB team have delivered an wonderful, awe-inspiring performance in Rio at this Paralympic Games”, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe said.
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Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin said she was delighted with the team’s top-five finish, but would take time to recalibrate ambitions with Tokyo 2020 already in mind. Full details of the celebrations have yet to be released.
