Britain’s Paris 2024 Paralympic heroes have been welcomed back in style after their historic medal tally.
Great Britain finished second in the medal table after matching their Tokyo haul, winning eight more gold medals than the 2020 Games.
To celebrate their achievements, they were thrown a lavish bash by the National Lottery at the Utilita Arena, Birmingham, which will be aired on Channel 4 on Saturday at 5.30pm.
The attendees included The Last Leg hosts Josh Widdicombe, Adam Hills and Alex Brooker as well as singer Craig David and a performance by the Sugababes.
The British team – set a target of between 100-140 medals by UK Sport – secured a total of 124 medals with 49 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze to match their totally tally from Tokyo three years ago.
Britain’s Paris 2024 Paralympic heroes have been welcomed back in style at star-studded Homecoming event
Team GB Paralympics react to the Sugababes on stage during the homecoming event
Great Britain finished second in the medal table after matching their Tokyo haul
Pictured: Team GB during the National Lottery Paralympics homecoming in Birmingham
Faye Rogers, Alice Tai, William Ellard and Poppy Maskill (back row left-right) Ellie Challis, Maisie Summers-Newton and Brock Whiston (front row left to right) during the GB Paralympics homecoming event
They won medals in 18 of 19 sports they competed in, with more than half of the 215 athletes taking to the podium.
Ahead of the closing ceremony, King Charles spoke on behalf of himself and his wife Queen Camilla, praising the athletes for ‘inspiring, encouraging and lifting the hearts of all’ as he congratulated them for their sporting achievements.
Now, nine-time Paralympic gold medal winner Hannah Cockroft has said she is ‘far from done’ following more success at the Paris 2024 Games.
Cockroft finished in front of team-mate Kare Adenegan in the T34 800 metres final to claim her second gold title in Paris, following earlier success in the T34 100m, taking her overall career tally to nine.
Victory for the 32-year-old means she has finished on top of the podium in the 100m and 800m at every Paralympics since London 2012.
Even though the Paralympics has just finished, she is already eyeing up Los Angeles.
Speaking at the National Lottery Paralympics homecoming in Birmingham, she said: ‘The feeling of gold medals will never ever get old.
‘Nine of these, if you’d have told me 20 years ago that this is what I would have achieved, I’d have never believed, but I am far from done yet.
‘I definitely want to try and get double figures. I feel I have so much to learn, I’ve got so many things I need to improve on so there’s definitely more to give.’
Cockroft came home in front of the chasing pack to help Team GB to a total of 20 medals on the final Saturday of the Games.
She did it in emphatic fashion, taking the triumph in one minute and 55.44 seconds, eight seconds in front of Adenegan in second spot for a British one-two.
Cockroft was delighted with ParalympicsGB’s efforts in Paris.
She added: ‘It makes me so proud to be a member of Team GB, we are the best team and a power to be dealt with.
Great Britain ended the Paralympics in second place after yet another memorable Games in Paris. Pictured: Fats Timbo
A total of 117 British Athletes will leave Paris with a medal, with record success in canoeing, triathlon and rowing. Pictured: Sarah Storey
Penny Briscoe OBE, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission at Paris 2024, said: ‘ParalympicsGB have achieved so many milestones at these Games. Pictured: Ellie Simmonds
Josh Widdicombe, Adam Hills and Alex Brooker (left to right) during the GB Paralympics homecoming event
China took top spot with 220 medals, while the USA took third spot to ensure the same top three as the 2020 Games. Pictured: Ade Adepitan
Pictured: Great Britain’s Nathan Maguire and gold medalist Hannah Cockroft
Pictured: Team GB athletics gold medalist Daniel Pembroke
Pictured: Circus performers Extraordinary Bodies during the event
Pictured: Amy Truesdale alongside R&B star Craig David
More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments competed in 22 sports. Pictured: archery gold medalist Jodie Grinham
Pictured: taekwando gold medalist Matthew Bush
Pictured: table tennis bronze medalist Bly Twomey
Pictured: fencing gold medalist Dimitri Coutya
‘We went there and we showed everyone how good we are, we put down incredible performances. It’s so empowering when you go into your race and hear the celebrations from team-mates around you, it pushes you on, like ‘I want that feeling’.
‘Paris was absolutely incredible and everything I hoped it would be and more.
‘I think there was so much worry going into the Games whether we would sell tickets or whether people would come and watch us, but to have that was amazing and made the gold medals feel even more special.
‘Especially that last night, the Saturday night, getting in the stadium in front of 70,000 people – a full stadium – it’s what you dream about when you’re a little girl.’
Cockroft will complete her celebrations when she gets married to fellow Team GB Paralympian Nathan Maguire.
She said: ‘We get married in three weeks so that’s kind of our distraction right now, maybe while we are celebrating.
‘That’ll be a great celebration too. This year has been a lot; world championships, Paralympics and a wedding.
‘If I could give my younger self one bit of advice, it would be don’t put a wedding on a Paralympic year.
‘It is a rush around right now ticking the boxes but I think we are on top of it and it’ll be all worth it.’