Paralympics: Emotions Overflow for Australian Gold Medal Winners Ben Hance, Callum Simpson
A golden day for Australia and one filled with emotion with Ben Hance dedicating his back-to-back backstroking win to his late father and rookie schoolboy Callum Simpson overcome with tears of joy as Australia celebrated its most successful day in the Paralympic pool
THIS ONE’S FOR YOU DAD: Ben Hance sky high after his golden moment in Paris, dedicated to his late father Tony. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
The Dolphins taking its gold medal tally to six and its overall tally to 25 with a total of seven medals on a dynamic Day Nine at La Defense Arena.
Day eight golden boy Tim Hodge adding silver to his two gold medals, while day one gold medallist Tom Gallagher added bronze to his two gold medals.
Two-time defending champion from Rio and Tokyo Rachael Watson won her second bronze of the Paris campaign after a disqualification; Emily Beecroft added bronze to her relay gold and rookie Queensland teen Lewis Bishop was a surprise bronze medallist behind Hodge – the pair sharing the Para podium together.
With one day’s competition remaining Australia has won six gold; six silver and 13 bronze medals.
It was a big day all-round for Hance who ran to the blocks for the heats and started the day on world record pace,
And he finished the day off with a special tribute. Sitting on the lane rope and pointing to the sky, Ben paid tribute to his late father Tony who passed away before the Paralympic Trials in June in Melbourne.
In what he described as the hardest year of his life, Ben looking skywards mouthing “thank you dad” in a heartfelt moment.
YEAH YEAH: Ben Hance celebrates his 100m backstroke gold. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
“I’ve never dealt with death. I just wanted to win the gold medal for him,” Hance told Channel Nine.
“He was supposed to be in the stands…It’s super special [other family members to be here]. I just enjoyed the work [at training]. The best 10 weeks of training in my life. Enjoyed every minute of it.”
And his dad would have been so proud of his boy – who was a pallbearer at his father’s funeral in Melbourne and who has now been crowned a back-to-back Paralympic champion -dedicated to his greatest supporter.
Hance (St Andrews, QLD; Coach Ash Delaney) is the first swimmer to defend a men’s 100m backstroke S14 gold, touching in 57.04 (after his 56.62 WR in the morning) with teammate Ricky Betar sixth in a PB (1:00.33).
Also praising coach Delaney, himself an Olympic backstroker in Beijing in 2008 and his backstroking “super squad” training partners, two-time Olympian and world backstroke champion Isaac Cooper and two-time Junior Pan Pac backstroke bronze medallist Jack Morrow.
Fellow Sunshine Coaster Simpson, is still in School, a Year 11 student at Matthew Flinders Anglican College, where he too is coached by an Olympian in 2012 London butterflyer Chris Wright.
The teenager winning his gold in a thrilling 100m freestyle final for S8s in one of the closest blanket finishes of the week.
The emotional 17-year-old out-touching the USA’s Noah Jaffe by just 0.02 with Italy’s Alberto Amendo just a further 0.05 behind in third.
IS IT TRUE? Callum Simpson can’t believe his eyes after winning the 100m freestyle S8.Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Simpson taking the gold in 58.23, Jaffe the silver in 58.25 and Amendo the bronze in 58.30.
“It’s everything I dreamed of, and I finally have my dream … it’s finally come true. It’s amazing, it honestly is, and I wouldn’t be able to get here without my family,” said a tearful Simpson, who had earlier won gold as a heat swimmer in Australia’s Mixed 4x100m Medley (34pt) Relay earlier in the week.
It was WA-born Gold Coaster Gallagher (Somerset, QLDS: Coach Ash Callus) that kicked off the Super Saturday campaign with a bronze by 0.12 seconds in the men’s 100m backstroke S10.
It came after the 25-year-old Gallagher had broken through for Australia’s first gold medal of the 2024 Games with a blistering 50m freestyle gold on day one.
Today adding the men’s 100m backstroke S10 bronze after clocking 1:01.34, his third medal from three events at these Games for Gallagher.
“I don’t really do too much backstroke, but I try hard. And you know, I think this week was just about racing and I got the job done,” Gallagher said, who admitted it was the most painful race of his busy week in the Para pool.
“….. this week has been about racing … I can’t believe it, to be honest…and that was the most painful race I’ve ever done in my life. So yeah, I’m speechless.”
BOYS LIGHT UP: Tim Hodge (R) and Lewis Bishop celebrate silver and bronze in the S9 100m butterfly. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia) 2
Hodge, claiming his third medal in Paris, touching in 1:00.03 behind Italy’s Simone Barlaam in the 100m butterfly for S9s.Competing in six events, Hodge had the busiest program of anyone on the Dolphins swim team, closing his stacked campaign with two golds, from the Mid 4x100m Medley (34pt) Relay and the men’s 200 IM SM9 and a silver.
“An absolutely insane race, I was hoping to go under a minute but still a really good race, now I’m happy to soak it all in because as quick as it (Paralympic Games) comes it goes and you don’t get too many in your life” said the three-time Paralympian.
Brisbane’s Bishop (Rackley Swim Team; Coach Josh Smith) had to wait until the second last day to make his Paralympic debut in Paris and the 19-year-old’s patience paid off with a bronze also in the men’s 100m butterfly S9 behind Iron Man Hodge. Bishop was eighth at the turn and stormed home with a PB of 1:01.08, to get the touch – just 0.02 ahead of Italy’s Federico Morlacchi.
“I’m lost for words to be honest, all I wanted to do is to make the team and then I made the final and then I got a bronze, it’s an incredible feeling,” said a grateful Bishop, who as a nine-year-old had his leg amputated after a knee-boarding accident in Papua New Guinea.
Rachael Watson (Chandler, QLD; Coach Mateo Melis) is a three-time Paralympian and after overcoming a slow start, touched fourth (41.17) but was eventually awarded bronze in the women’s 50m freestyle S4 after Brazil’s dos Santos was disqualified for a false start.
BUTTERFLY BRONZE: Emily Beecroft takes home S9 100m butterfly bronze.Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Watson, an S3 swimmer swimming up a class, produced the fastest 50m freestyle performance of her career – a PB and Oceania record.
While another three-time Paralympian Emily Beecroft (USC Spartans, Coach Harley Connolly) won her first individual Paralympic medal at these Games, a bronze in the 100m butterfly S9, after her shock gold medal in the Mixed 4x100m medley (34pt) relay with Jesse Aungles, Hodge and golden girl Alexa Leary.
Beecroft touching in 1:07.96 with American Christie Raleigh-Crossley winning gold in a Paralympic record time of 1:05.19. Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly won silver 1:097.96.