If you weren’t aware, the final ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Paralympics took place last night, as China triumphed the rest of the competition, claiming first on the podium with a whopping 94 gold medals. But, if you’re Canadian, there’s no need to worry as Canada still impressed rival countries with a solid outing in this year’s Summer games.

You probably tuned in earlier this year when Canada teetered on the outside of the top ten in the Summer olympics, landing themselves in 12th place, but would you believe me if I told you that Canada finished 12th in the Paralympics as well? I wouldn’t blame you if you thought that is pretty mediocre, but Canada accumulated more medals in the Paralympics compared to the Olympics, even asserting their dominance with more gold to their name as well. 

What a day for Canada! 🇨🇦

Six more medals added to the tally today at #Paris2024:

🥇🥇 2 Gold
🥈🥈 2 Silver
🥉🥉 2 Bronze

Our athletes continue to shine and make Canada proud! 👏#CanadianParalympicTeam #GreatnessMovesUs #TeamCanada pic.twitter.com/rC4Yy7rAzt

— Canadian Paralympic Team (@CDNParalympics) September 7, 2024

Canada was able to bring home 10 shiny gold medals, which added to their total medal count of 29. Okay yes, you are probably thinking that Canada had an average medal total compared to first place China, but I like to say comparison is the thief of joy, as there are still many positive takeaways from Canada’s performance.

As you know, Canada usually dominates when it comes to the Winter games, but Canada took over the para-swimming category in this year’s Paralympics, collecting 13 medals overall in the sport. Fellow B.C. native, Nicholas Bennett, paved the way, as he was able to obtain two gold medals and a single bronze, collecting 3 medals for the country. The young 20 year old put his name in the record books, as he is the first Canadian male to bring home multiple gold medals in the Paralympics, dating back to 2004, when Benoit Huot topped the podium for an outstanding 5 gold medals.

You may be wondering what are some other positives coming out of this year’s Paralympics, and I’m here to tell you that this was the first time since the 2008 games, that Canada had accumulated double digit gold medals. If you weren’t aware, Canada has always seemed to perform better in solo sports, rather than team sports. But that was different in this year’s games. Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team was able to secure podium placement, landing them the first team medal Canada has obtained since 2012.

Lastly, if you are a fellow British Columbian like myself, then this stat will peak your mind the most. B.C. athletes were able to lead the way in the medal count as B.C. natives were able to collect a total of 9 medals in the competition. The next Paralympic games will take place in the neighbouring country of Canada, as in 2028, it will all go down in Los Angeles. You’ll just have to wait and see how Canada tops their performance from this year, and see how hard the stars will shine, in the city of stars.