Great Britain's Tully Kearney (centre) on the podium with the gold medal after winning the Women's 200m Freestyle S5 Final, alongside Ukraine's Iryna Poida (left) with silver and Italy's Monica Boggioni (right) with bronze at the Paris La Defense Arena. Image provided by PA / Alamy.
Kearney clinches Loughborough’s first gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games
Tully Kearney stormed to victory in the Women’s 200m Freestyle S5 to secure Loughborough’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The current world record holder produced an incredible final 50m inside the Paris La Défense Arena to pull away from Ukraine’s Iryna Poida to hit the wall in 2:46.50. Italy’s Monica Boggioni was third.
Kearney, who was also quickest in qualifying, has now upgraded her silver in the same event at Tokyo 2020.
Speaking to Channel 4 following the race, a jubilant Kearney said: “I am a bit speechless and I wanted redemption after Tokyo, I wanted gold.
“With everything that happened this year I didn't know if it would be possible, I am really happy with that. I knew what my advantages were and I used them to my advantage - it obviously worked.
“I have been competing internationally since I was 13 and I have never had a crowd this big - it really helped.
“I am grateful to everyone who helped me get here. We didn't know if I would make it so I'm really happy.”
The Paris Paralympic Games take place between 28 August – 11 September 2024.
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Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 24/144
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running.
Loughborough is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2024 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
Great Britain's Tully Kearney (centre) on the podium with the gold medal after winning the Women's 200m Freestyle S5 Final, alongside Ukraine's Iryna Poida (left) with silver and Italy's Monica Boggioni (right) with bronze at the Paris La Defense Arena. Image provided by PA / Alamy.
Tully Kearney stormed to victory in the Women’s 200m Freestyle S5 to secure Loughborough’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The current world record holder produced an incredible final 50m inside the Paris La Défense Arena to pull away from Ukraine’s Iryna Poida to hit the wall in 2:46.50. Italy’s Monica Boggioni was third.
Kearney, who was also quickest in qualifying, has now upgraded her silver in the same event at Tokyo 2020.
Speaking to Channel 4 following the race, a jubilant Kearney said: “I am a bit speechless and I wanted redemption after Tokyo, I wanted gold.
“With everything that happened this year I didn't know if it would be possible, I am really happy with that. I knew what my advantages were and I used them to my advantage - it obviously worked.
“I have been competing internationally since I was 13 and I have never had a crowd this big - it really helped.
“I am grateful to everyone who helped me get here. We didn't know if I would make it so I'm really happy.”
The Paris Paralympic Games take place between 28 August – 11 September 2024.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running.
Loughborough is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2024 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
