NT quartet shine for Australia at the 2024 Paris Games

Despite team Australia recording its worst Paralympic result in nearly four decades, a quartet of NT born athletes stood tall on the world stage. See how they performed here.

Four Northern Territory born talents put their names in lights on the biggest stage at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

All hailing from rural NT, the quartet represented the nation with pride, two even medalling.

Check out how the NT’s athletes performed below.

LEWIS BISHOP – (Swimming)

Gold medallist Simone Barlaam of Team Italy and Bronze medallist Lewis Bishop of Team Australia pose for a photo during the Para Swimming Men's 100m Butterfly S9 Medal Ceremony. Picture: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images).

The teenager from Nhulunbuy who started his swimming journey with the Nhulunbuy Barras as a junior swam himself to a magnificent bronze medal in the S9 Men’s 100m Butterfly.

A right leg amputee above the knee after a boating accident in Papua New Guinea as a nine year old, he was overwhelmed with pride following his heroic swim.

“I made the final and then I just got a bronze,” he told Channel 9 in an interview after the race.

“It’s incredible, it’s an incredible feeling.

“I think at the start of this year I was probably seated 10th in that event and all I wanted to do was make the team and I was glad I made it.

“To see my parents up there in the stands, I waved to them at the end.

“They’ve been such a support for me for so long and seeing my family back home

“They’re all so proud of me and that makes it really worth it for me.”

ALISTAIR DONOHOE (Cycling)

Alistair Donohoe celebrating on the podium after the Men's C5 Individual Time Trial. Picture: Michael Steele/Getty Images.

At his third Games the cyclist from Nhulunbuy added two more medals to his total Paralympic tally with another successful campaign.

The 29 year old won bronze in the C1-5 Mixed 750m Team Sprint and took out the silver medal in the C5 Men’s Road Time Trial.

Donohoe came close to a third medal in the C5 Road Race but it wasn’t to be, crossing the line in a time good enough for sixth.

TELAYA BLACKSMITH (Athletics)

Australian Paralympic 400m runner Telaya Blacksmith lines up for the 400m T-20 class at the Paris Paralympics, September 2, 2024. Picture: Jacquelin Magnay.

The Warlpiri teenager had a mixed bag of results at her Paralympic debut.

Competing in two events, Blacksmith got off to a flyer, running an Area Record in her T20 400m heat with a time of 57.96, which was good enough for sixth place and a spot in the final.

She was unable to repeat her heat form in the final, running a slow 59.37 that saw her place eighth.

Blacksmith then finished around the middle of the pack in the T20 long jump final, with a 5.21m effort that saw her finish 9th out of a 15 person field.

TOM O’NEILL-THORNE (Wheelchair Basketball)

Tom O'Neill-Thorne (right) shoots over Gregg Warburton of Team Great Britain during the Men's Quarterfinal match between against Great Britain. Picture: Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Captain of the Rollers and Darwin Salties gun O’Neill-Thorne and his crew had a tough time in Paris, unable to secure a medal to end the side’s drought.

After two wins in the warm-up stages, the Aussies struggled to get it together in the Pool, losing to the Netherlands 55-66, Spain 60-68 and the USA 76-69.

The Rollers then lost to team GB 84-64 in the quarter-finals, however they did manage to save face with two wins in the overall placing matches downing Spain 78-74 and the Netherlands 82-75 to finish the Games in fifth place.