Paris 2024 Paralympic Games | Para powerlifting: One world record ...

By Léo-Pol Platet (from the Arena Porte de La Chapelle)

4 min|

Alex Adelaïde and Axel Bourlon, the two French representatives in today's different categories, could not do better than a sixth-place finish for the former, while the latter was not ranked after three unsuccessful attempts. In the women's categories, two Paralympic records and one world record were broken. Here’s a summary of the day in Para powerlifting.

The greatest hopes for a medal rested on his shoulders, and his pectorals. A Paralympic silver medalist in Tokyo in 2021, Axel Bourlon was welcomed as a hero at the Arena Porte de La Chapelle. The tifo in blue, white, and red, the numerous flags, and the noise of the crowd contrasted with the demeanor of the man from Roanne. Sitting on the bench before his first attempt, he closed his eyes for thirty seconds, entering his zone. The once-boisterous crowd fell into a reverent silence.

Disappointment for Axel Bourlon

Alas, his first attempt at 163 kilograms was invalidated by two of the three judges. The video challenge confirmed the decision, meaning he would need to perform better on the second lift. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's David Degtyarev cleared his first lift at 184 kilograms, taking the lead in the competition. Vietnam's An Nguyen withdrew after failing his first attempt at 168 kilograms.

With his ranking at its lowest, Axel Bourlon decided to increase the weight for his second attempt. "We don't really understand the decision on the first lift; I felt comfortable with that weight, which is why I chose to increase," he explained to the journalists. The lift at 169 kilograms could have given him a provisional fifth place. However, his execution, poorly controlled with his right arm, was invalidated by all three judges. Once again, the video challenge did not overturn the decision. With his head in his hands, Bourlon realized he had missed his chance. After Tokyo, he would not return to the podium. Worse still, his third attempt, again at 169 kilograms, was another failure. Axel Bourlon would not even be ranked.

"It’s a huge disappointment because I didn’t come here for this; I wanted a medal, and the best one possible. I’m leaving these Games empty-handed," he admitted afterward.

In the end, Kazakhstan's David Degtyarev (188 kilograms) triumphed over Pablo Ramirez Barrientos (Cuba, 185 kg) and Jinglang Yang (China, 179 kg).

Picture by David Ramos/Getty Images

In His First Games as a Powerlifter, Alex Adelaïde Finishes 6th

Earlier in the day, during the first session, Alex Adelaïde could do no better than a sixth-place finish with his initial lift of 160 kilograms. Afterward, the Guadeloupean failed his second attempt at 165 kilograms, as a slight delay in his push prevented the judges from validating the lift. For his final attempt, he took a gamble with a 172-kilogram lift, which would have placed him on the provisional podium if successful. However, he failed again, allowing his competitors to pull ahead. Having previously competed at the Rio Games in Para athletics, where he won a bronze medal in the 4x400 meter relay, Adelaïde had to settle for this result in his first appearance in Para powerlifting. He will seek redemption in Los Angeles in 2028.

The final victory was contested between Jordan’s Omar Sami Hamadeh Qarada, Turkey’s Abdullah Kayapinar, and Vietnam’s Le Van Cong. The latter faltered first, failing at 176 and then 181 kilograms. In contrast, his two rivals surpassed the 180-kilogram mark. In the end, Omar Sami Hamadeh Qarada seized the victory with a lift of 181 kilograms. A few minutes later, he attempted but failed to break the world record (183.5 kg) with a lift of 184 kilograms.

Picture by David Ramos/Getty Images

Records Fall in the Women's Competition

In the women's under 41-kilogram category, Zhen Cui achieved a double victory by winning the Paralympic title and breaking the Paralympic record. However, she fell short of breaking the world record, which remains set at 123 kilograms. After winning silver in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021, the 37-year-old Chinese athlete finally broke the curse with this first gold medal. With a lift of 119 kilograms, she outperformed Nigeria's Esther Nworgu (118 kilograms) and Brazil's Lara Aparecida de Lima (109 kilograms).

Picture by David Ramos/Getty Images

In the other women's category, the under 45kg, the world record fell, beaten by the Paralympic under 41kg title-holder, Lingling Guo of China. With a bar at 123 kilos, she wiped the previous Paralympic and world records off the books. Behind her, Zoé Newson (Great Britain) and Nazmiye Muratli (Turkey) completed the podium.

Four more days of competition

The competition continues until Sunday 8 September, with the women's over 86 kg and men's over 107 kg events at the climax.