News

Finland adds two bronzes to Paris 2024 Paralympic medal tally

Leo-Pekka Tähti and Amanda Kotaja secured podium spots in their 100-meter wheelchair races at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Wednesday.

Paralympic athlete Amanda Kotaja at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Amanda Kotaja is now a two-time Paralympic medallist. Image: Harri Kapustamäki
  • Yle News

Finland secured two bronze medals on Wednesday at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, with Leo-Pekka Tähti and Amanda Kotaja both claiming podium finishes in their respective 100-meter wheelchair racing events.

This brings Finland's total Paralympic medal count to three. The first medal was earned on Tuesday when Toni Piispanen secured silver in the men's 200-meter T51 final.

Veteran athlete Tähti earned his eighth Paralympic medal in the men's T54-class 100 meter race, clocking 13.86 seconds to take third place. Mexico's Juan Pablo Cervantes Garcia won gold in 13.74 seconds, while Thailand's Athiwat Paeng-nuea claimed silver.

Leo-Pekka Tähti finished third in the T54-class 100 metre wheelchair race.

After the race, Tähti expressed mixed feelings about his performance, noting that a lingering Achilles tendon issue affected his speed.

Tähti, who was named Finland's Athlete of the Year in 2016, hinted that this might be his last Olympic effort, though remains open to competing at World Championships in future.

Later in the evening, Amanda Kotaja added to Finland's medal tally with a bronze in the women's T54-class 100-meter race. She finished in 15.77 seconds, just behind Belgium's Lea Bayekula and the USA's Tatyana McFadden.

Although Kotaja admitted hoping for gold, she said she was happy with her second Paralympic medal, having won silver in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.