Seventy-three of the 135 competing nations won at least one medal during these Paralympic Games – several of these countries secured their first medal in Paralympic Games history. For 17 countries, these were their first Paralympics ever.
During Games time, the Paralympic Village was home to 3,806 athletes, around 2,200 NPC team officials and 1,000 Games officials. A total of 1,160 women (31% of the total number of athletes) competed at the Games, with female athletes competing in Judo and Volleyball (Sitting) for the first time.
Excellent sporting performances in 19 sports resulted in 304 world records and 448 Paralympic records. China took the top spot in the final medal tally for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. The 2008 Paralympic Games host won 141 medals in total, 63 of which were gold. Great Britain finished second overall capturing 35 gold medals followed by Canada with 28 gold. One of the most outstanding athletes at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games was Japanese Mayumi Narita (Swimming) with seven gold and one bronze medal. Canadian wheelchair athlete Chantal Peticlerc crowned her career by winning five gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m races setting three world records.
A total of 3,103 media representatives including more than 68 broadcasters were present in Athens to cover the Games. A total of 617 hours broadcast in 25 countries and Pan Europe from the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games were watched by a record number of viewers all over the world confirming the growth in media interest for the Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000.
Around 850,000 tickets were sold, far surpassing the original expectations (400,000 tickets) of the Athens 2004 Organising Committee. The Athens 2004 Paralympic Games were supported by 8,863 volunteers who were handpicked from some 160,000 personal applications.
The equestrian competitions which took place at the Markopoulon Olympic Equestrian Centre started on Tuesday 21 August and finished on Sunday 26 August, with a rest day on Saturday. For the first time in the history of the Paralympic Games, each rider was competing with his/her own horse which led to a 10% increase on the overall scores compared to Sydney 2000 and a string of personal bests and performances at the Markopoulo stadium. The Paralympic riders in Athens were divided into four Grades: I, II, III and IV according to their disability.
Ten countries shared the medals, with Great Britain grabbing no less than eight of them, including five gold. The British have dominated the sport since Equestrian returned to the Paralympic programme in Atlanta in 1996. Both Lee Pearson and Deborah Criddle contributed significantly to the British tally – with three medals each. Riders from Norway and Sweden - Ann Cathrin Lübbe and Irene Slaettengren respectively - also both picked up two individual gold medals.
Pearson came to Greece on a mission to maintain the three gold medals he won in Sydney four years ago in his first Paralympic experience. That is exactly what he did by sweeping the competition in Grade I. He won the Individual Championship with a total score of 77.263%. In the Freestyle test, his horse Blue Circle Boy danced to the song "I'm so excited" and earned a deserved 87% score for their performance.
Lynn Seidemann (USA) won the silver medal in the Freestyle and joined an elite group of athletes who have won medals in different sports. She had earned a silver medal in the Wheelchair Tennis Women's Doubles in Barcelona 1992.
Australia's Jan Pike and ride Dr Doolittle achieved a total of 71.895% to take Individual Championships silver and 74.37% for Freestyle bronze.
A moving moment on the third day of the competition was the participation of Valerie Salles (FRA), whose horse Arestote had suffered a heart attack and died before competition began. Valerie was allowed to participate out of competition, once the other riders had concluded their programmes. She rode Doonsquire Express, borrowed from Marcos Alyes Salles (BRA), received a standing ovation from the crowd and left the arena with tears in her eyes.
In Grade II an unexpected Swedish rider, Irene Slaettengren (SWE), stole the show. She earned two gold medals as a result of her breathtaking performances in the Individual Championship (72.636%) and the Freestyle (78.944%). She triumphed over a strong field of riders that included Sydney gold medallists Joop Stokkel (NED) and Nicola Tustain (GBR) and German champion Hannelore Brenner.
The defending Grade II Freestyle champion Nicola Tustain (GBR) failed to retain her title. Instead, the British rider with Prinz Heinrich came third. She was awarded 75% to claim the bronze medal, her second at these Paralympic Games; after she finished third in the Individual Championship Test while Sydney 2000 Individual Championship gold medallist Joop Stokkel had to settle for silver this time around.
Hannelore Brenner, who didn't compete in the Individual Championship due to her horse's minor injury, borrowed Bianca Vogel's gelding, Roquefort, who helped her win her first-ever Paralympic medal (silver) with a total score 76.056%.
Deborah Criddle (GBR) followed in the footsteps of her countryman and fellow team member Lee Pearson taking the two individual gold medals available to her in Grade III as well as team gold. Her Freestyle score of 81.722% giving her the edge of over Germany's Bettina Eistel (GER) on 77.778%, in a test she later described as the ride of her life.
Bert Vermeier (BEL), after just missing out on bronze in the Individual Championship test, secured third place in the Freestyle on a score of 74.722% leaving Marita Hird (AUS) in fourth place.
Germany's Bianca Vogel, the silver medallist in the Individual Championship and Criddle's main rival before the competition started, failed to finish her programme as she didn't feel well in the middle of her test, and elected to abandon her effort.
Greece, the host country, was represented for the first time in the sport with Nikolaos Sigkas. The Serres, Macedonia, native, who didn't have any previous experience in major competitions, delighted his home crowd with his determination and generosity. He competed in Grade III competitions to finish 15th in the Individual and 14th in the Freestyle.
Norway's Ann Cathrin Lübbe confirmed the pre–Games anticipation that she was going to be difficult to beat. After earning first place in the Grade IV warm-up competition, she confirmed her number one position in the Individual Championship and concluded her quest for gold in the Freestyle with 80.045%.
Aside from Lübbe, Phillippa Johnson (RSA) gave her country its first medal in equestrian events of the Paralympic Games. Canada's former Eventing rider, Karen Brain earned both bronze medals for her Paralympic debut.
The British, always strong favourites, retained their Olympic title with an awe-inspiring 27 points over Germany. They were led by two gold medallists, Grade I rider Lee Pearson and Blue Circle boy and Grade III rider Debbie Criddle with Figaro IX who scored 74.4 and 75.53 respectively. They were joined by Grade II's individual bronze medallist Nicola Tustain and veteran Anne Dunham.
For Germany, the challenge was further heightened when the team was reduced to three after Hannelore Brenner, one of the leading riders in Grade II withdrew due to an injury to her well known international ride Fabiola. The remaining three pairs, Bianca Vogel with Roquefort 16, Bettina Eistel and Aaron and Britta Naepel still produced some fine performances but could not overcome the British ambitions.
Bronze, however, was hotly disputed between Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands, with the latter taking the honours.
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