Who are the greatest Paralympians of all time?

Thousands of amazing athletes have competed in the Paralympics Games over the past 64 years.

But who are the greatest of these Paralympians?

And how would you decide? Most gold medals? Most overall medals?

What about competing in the most Paralympics, or competing in the Paralympics and the Olympics, or even having the biggest impact increasing awareness of the Paralympics and Paralympians?

Most gold medals

The International Paralympic Committee medal tally ranks countries by the number of gold medals won, so it is logical to do that for athletes too.

By this measure, visually impaired American swimmer Trischa Zorn is the greatest Paralympian of all time. She won 41 golds from seven Paralympics (1980-2004), including 12 golds from 12 events in 1988.

Her 55 medals overall (41 gold, nine silver, five bronze) is also the most ever.

While no other Paralympian (or Olympian) can compete with Zorn’s amazing medal tally, there are many other notable Paralympians who have had sustained success over multiple Paralympics.

Second on the list of gold medal winners is Norwegian skier Ragnhild Myklebust.

She did not start competing until she was in her 40s, but still won 22 golds in para biathlon, cross-country skiing and ice sledge racing between 1988 and 2002.

Second on the list of overall medals is Swiss athlete Heinz Frei.

He won 35 medals (15 gold, eight silver, 12 bronze) in para athletics, cycling and cross-country skiing between 1984 and 2021.

He won his final medal in Tokyo at the age of 63.

Numerous other Paralympians have also won medals at summer and winter Paralympics.

Sustained success

Swedish shooter Jonas Jacobsson is another Paralympian with sustained success.

He competed in ten consecutive Paralympics (1980-2016) and won golds in the first nine – this included winning the same air rifle event for five consecutive games.

In addition to his 30 shooting medals (17 gold, four silver, nine bronze) he also competed in wheelchair basketball in 1988.

Great Britain athlete Sarah Storey has the most gold medals of any current Paralympian.

She has won medals in all eight of her Paralympic appearances (swimming and cycling, 1992-2024).

She currently has 18 golds, eight silver and three bronze, and is a chance of more medals in Paris in her ninth games.

Olympics and Paralympics

About 20 Paralympians have also competed at the Olympics.

The only Australian to have done this is Melissa Tapper. She has competed in Para table tennis at the Paralympics (2012, 2016, 2021, 2024) and table tennis at the Olympics (2016, 2021, 2024). She won a silver at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Only one athlete has won an Olympic medal and a Paralympic medal.

Hungary’s Pal Szekeres, won a bronze medal in fencing at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

He switched to wheelchair fencing after being injured in a traffic accident and then won three gold and three bronze medals in para fencing in five Paralympics (1992-2008).

Since retiring from competition, Szekeres has used his fame to positively influence Hungarian society.

He has successfully campaigned for greater accessibility in public buildings and greater sporting opportunities for people living with disabilities.

What about Australia?

Australia’s most successful Paralympian is swimmer Matthew Cowdrey. He has won the most gold medals and the most medals overall (23 - 13 gold, seven silver, three bronze).

Wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage has won the most golds of any female Paralympian (nine, as well as four silver).

Swimmer Ellie Cole is our most decorated female Paralympian with 17 medals (six gold, five silver and six bronze).

Some other contenders for Australia’s greatest Paralympian include Daphne Hilton, Libby Kosmana and Dylan Alcott.

Hilton was a trailblazer who won six of Australia’s 10 medals at the first Paralympics in 1960. She attended three Paralympics and won 14 medals in five different sports (para athletics, swimming, archery, table tennis and fencing).

Kosmana competed in 12 consecutive Paralympic Games (1972-2016), winning a total of 13 medals in swimming and shooting, including nine gold.

She retired in 2020 at the age of 78.

Changing perceptions

Alcott is one of Australia’s best known Paralympians.

He has won six Paralympic medals (four gold, two silver) in basketball and tennis, as well as numerous tennis titles (including seven consecutive Australian Opens (2015-2021), and a historic Golden Slam in 2021).

In addition to his athletic achievements, his “greatness” is significantly contributed to by his efforts to change perceptions of people with disabilities.

He is a TV and radio presenter, silver Logie winner, and was the 2022 Australian of the Year.

Other notable initiatives connected to his Dylan Alcott Foundation include Shift 20 (increasing representation of people with disabilities in advertising campaigns), his Nike Academy (dedicated at supporting athletes living with disabilities), the Field (a jobs platform for people with disabilities) and the Game On book series which celebrates inclusion and diversity for kids and normalises disabilities in mainstream media.

The advocacy work of Alcott and others, as well as improved coverage of the Paris Paralympics and Paralympians, have increased awareness of people living with disabilities in Australian society.

This means young children with disabilities are seeing more people like them succeed and achieve their dreams.

In time, one of these young Aussie kids may become our greatest ever Paralympian.