Courtesy: World Para Swimming
Brazil’s Gabriel Araujo and Great Britain’s Alice Tai added a second World Series title to their impressive collections as the 2024 Citi Para Swimming World Series concluded this month. The Brazilian successfully retained his 2023 crown, while the British swimmer returned to the top of the rankings after a five-year absence.
This year’s series showcased the strength of both Brazil and Great Britain, with the two nations claiming all but one title – the Best Female High-Support Needs Athlete crown, which was won by Spain’s Paralympic legend Teresa Perales.
For Araujo, the title wraps up an unforgettable season, which saw him win three gold medals and capture the hearts of the French audience at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Recently awarded Athlete of the Year in his country, Gabrielzinho also topped the Best Male High-Support Needs Athlete rankings for the second consecutive year, scoring 4229 points at the France and Berlin World Series.
Tai accumulated 4184 points across the Berlin and Lignano Sabbiadoro events. It was a particularly special year for her, as she made a triumphant return to the Paralympic Games after withdrawing from Tokyo 2020 due to injury. Tai earned five medals, including two golds, at Paris 2024.
Click here for the list of all World Series winners since the first edition in 2017.
The 2024 Citi Para Swimming World Series winners:
Overall Women’s Champion: Alice Tai (Great Britain) – 4184 points
Also the 2019 Overall Women’s champion, Tai was followed by her compatriot Poppy Maskill in second place with 4017 points, while Mariana Ribeiro (Brazil) claimed third with 4007 points.
Overall Men’s Champion: Gabriel Araujo (Brazil) – 4229 points
William Ellard (Great Britain) came in second place with 4027 points, while Phelipe Rodrigues (Brazil) rounded out the top three with 3975 points.
High Support Needs Women’s Category
In the High Support Needs Women’s category, Teresa Perales (Spain) took first place with 3898 points, followed by Ellie Challis (Great Britain) in second with 3690 points, and Pin Xiu Yip (Singapore) in third place with 3394 points.
High Support Needs Men’s Category
For the High Support Needs Men’s category, Gabriel Araujo (Brazil) again led the charge, securing the top position with 4229 points. Kamil Otowski (Poland) claimed second place with 3902 points, and Umut Unlu (Turkey) finished in third with 3444 points.
Junior Women’s Category
In the Junior Women’s category, Olivia Newman-Baronius (Great Britain) came out on top with 3948 points, edging out Aira Kinoshita (Japan) in second with 3858 points. Assya Maurin Espiau (France) placed third with 3729 points.
Junior Men’s Category
William Ellard (Great Britain) defended his title in the Junior Men’s category, finishing first with 4027 points. Rhys Darbey (Great Britain) followed closely in second with 3824 points, while David Kratochvil (Czech Republic) secured third place with 3762 points.
Best NPC (National Paralympic Committee)
In the race for the top National Paralympic Committee prize, Brazil emerged as the champion for the second year in a row, with a total of 16,086 points – mere 34 points ahead of second place Great Britain (16,052). Spain rounded out the top three with 15,107 points.
The World Series will return in 2025 and more information about next season’s calendar can be found here.
