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José de Jesús Castillo lifted 222 kilos in La Chapelle Arena and gave Mexico another bronze medal in the powerlifting of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

On the last day of competition, the Guadalajara native won the 17th medal for the national delegation, which finished its participation in 30th place in the medal table.

After a cycle full of complications, injuries and personal problems, getting on the podium is a huge achievement. I waited eight years to feel a medal on my chest again, since the last time I got it was in Rio 2016.shared Castillo, who lost mobility in his legs due to polio.

The Jalisco native’s bronze in the under 107 kilogram category represents the closing of the country’s medal haul, which ends with three gold medals, six silver and eight bronze.

Para-swimming was the most successful discipline with seven medals, although it was in athletics where two gold medals were won: Gloria Zarza (shot put F54) and Juan Pablo Cervantes (100 metres T54).

Swimmer Ángel Camacho is the star of the national delegation, having won three medals: one silver and two bronze; Haideé Aceves also stood out with two silver medals.

Mexico competed in Paris with 67 athletes, more than half of whom made their debut in a summer competition. Their haul, which included 76 Olympic diplomas, did not improve on their performance in Tokyo 2020, where they won 22 medals with seven gold medals and 20th place in the rankings.

I thank Mexico for all the support for our athletes. Both those who climbed the podium and those who made an enormous effort to leave the name of our country high.commented Liliana Suárez, head of the National Paralympic Committee.

The closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in Saint-Denis was marked by fireworks at the Stade de France. Photo Afp

China reasserts its dominance

China has confirmed its position as the great dominator of Paralympic sport; since Athens 2004, it has led the medal table, with 94 golds, 76 silvers and 50 bronzes for a total of 220 medals, compared to 124 for Great Britain (49-44-31) and 105 for the United States (36-42-27).

After long days full of emotions, France said goodbye to the Games and passes the baton to Los Angeles 2028, with an impressive fiesta electronic and with the mission accomplished of having generated a wave of inclusion during the Paralympic event.

Their enthusiasm inspires us and their passion magnifies their spirit. They have been protagonists of a revolution of inclusion and that is the legacy they leave to all the different people in the world.said Andrew Parsons, head of the International Paralympic Committee at the closing ceremony.

Under intermittent rain, the nearly 60,000 people at the Stade de France chanted The Marseillaisethe French anthem, at the beginning of the ceremony.

To the rhythm of I Will Surviveby Gloria Gaynor, or from the popular French song Les Champs-Elysees, Joe Dassin, the flag bearers of the 168 delegations paraded before their nearly 4,400 parathletes; among them the Mexican Perla Patricia Bárcenas, from powerlifting.

It was Parsons who was in charge of mediating the handover of the Paralympic flag between the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, at which time the French capital definitively passed the baton to the American city.

Shortly afterwards, the Paralympic flame was extinguished, officially marking the end of the Games. The iconic cauldron, located in the Tuileries Gardens and unable to fly due to bad weather, was put into darkness to symbolically conclude the 11 days of competition.

With information from AFP

Mexican María de los Ángeles Ortiz, champion of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, came very close to winning a medal this Thursday at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games after finishing fourth in the F57 shot put final.

Under incessant rain at the Stade de France, the Tabasco native, who is participating in her fifth Paralympic Games, registered a time of 10.33 meters, which put her 41 centimeters behind Algerian Nassima Saifi, who won bronze with 10.74.

Gold went to Safia Djelal, also from Algeria, who set a Paralympic record with a throw of 11.56 metres. Silver went to Mian Xu, from China, with 10.89 metres.

“I had a much better mark, as I demonstrated in training, but there are things that are beyond my control, such as judging. For the second time, judging is preventing us from achieving a higher position in this race.

“In Kobe (World Cup) it was the foul on the buttock, which was called on the shots prior to the valid ones, so the intensity had to be modified. Now it was the bench tube, they asked me to remove it, it is not flexible, it does not help me push, it is made of forged and filled steel, baked in Córdoba since 2015.

“They asked me to grab not from above, but from more than half of the tube, then I would go down, but here is the Leonawith my head held high, because I did not fail Mexico,” said Ortiz, who achieved his record on his second pitch.

This afternoon, the Para athletics action will continue, with the final of Gilda Cota in the shot put F33 and the preliminaries of Salvador Hernández and Leonardo Pérez in the 100 meters T52.