Paris Paralympics 2024 closing ceremony LIVE: Flame blown out but Paris party rages; Gold medallists Lauren Parker, James Turner lead Australia as flag bearers

The 11 days of competition have officially come to a close in what was a beautiful ending to the Games.

Australia finished ninth overall with 18 gold, 17 silver and 28 bronze.

As journalists, it was an incredible privilege to bring the stories of our nation's athletes to you.

On behalf of the entire Wide World of Sports team, thank you for joining us.

PARIS: The Paralympic Games officially end as the flame in the cauldron is extinguished, but the party rages on.

A total of 24 artists from the French electronic scene are playing at the closing ceremony.

PARIS: An important moment plays out as the Paralympic flag is "handed over" from Paris 2024 to Los Angeles 2028, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games will next be held.

The US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", rings throughout the Stade de France as the US flag is raised.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, handed the Paralympic flag to the president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parson, who passed it to the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.

PARIS: Here are the Aussies!

Led by flag bearers James Turner and Lauren Parker, the Australian team enters the Stade de France.

Turner, the speed demon who won 400m and 100m gold on the track in Paris, is waving the flag with VIGOUR!

PARIS: The French flag is raised to the sound of The Marseillaise, the French national anthem, as André Feydy, a trumpeter with a deficiency of his right arm, plays along.

The crowd sings along as the French flag is raised by officers from various corps of the French Army.

PARIS: The closing ceremony kicks off in style as French singer Santa performs Johnny Hallyday's Vivre pour le Meilleur at the Stade de France, the venue for athletics at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As expected, the closing ceremony is bright and loud!

A total of 169 delegations will soon be parading around the stadium, including the Australian team led by flag bearers Lauren Parker and James Turner.

Help Australia's para-athletes get to Paris! Click here to donate.

The 'green and gold virtual seat' campaign was launched to provide viewers with a new experience that creates a more personal connection with the Games while remaining at home.

In 2020, Australians purchased more seats than the number of physical chairs in Tokyo's National Stadium, with 94,771 seats sold.

The efforts raised $2.37 million for the Paralympic team, providing support for the sporting organisation to help grow the opportunities available for our nation's athletes.

CONTINUE READING HERE.

Australian para-canoe champion Curtis McGrath cut a devastated figure after missing out on bronze in the men's va'a single 200m VL3 by the smallest of margins.

In a photo finish for bronze, New Zealand paddler Peter Cowan's time of 48.28 edged McGrath's by just 0.06 of a second.

Late in the race, McGrath headed off course and had to straighten, causing him to lose precious time as he pushed for the finish line.

CONTINUE READING HERE.

Australia's final Paralympian to compete at these Games, Hani Watson, has reflected on her performance.

Watson finished sixth in the women's 86kg para-powerlifting class.

Making her Paralympic debut, Watson was pleased with her lift of 133kg.

"That was an absolute cracker," she told Nine afterwards.

"I couldn't ask for anything better. Really, at the end of the day, I got my first lift and that's the hardest one.

"There was a lot of emotion running through me so to try and stay focused was the hardest bit.

Watson's mother died last year after a battle with breast cancer.

She explained that when she's sitting on the bench preparing for a lift, she calls on her mum.

"Trying to feel my Mum up there on the platform. Oh, I just wanted to cry," she said.

"I ask my Mum, 'Are you here?' And to help me lift the bar.

"It's been hard. It's not the easiest Paralympic journey I've had but we're here.

"In the last three years, I've been through so many boulders, huge boulders that have pushed me down.

"But I just keep coming back and this is the one thing that has kept me on track — that's kept me going, that's kept me alive. And I'm proud to be here representing Australia [in powerlifting] for the first time in a long time."

PARIS: Australian wheelchair racing legend Madison de Rozario was burdened throughout the Paralympics by the news that her dad died at the beginning of the Games, which she didn't make public until securing silver in the women's T54 marathon on Sunday.

De Rozario revealed after finishing second to Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner in the marathon that her dad, Roy, died on the night of the Paralympic opening ceremony, at which she and swimming champion Brenden Hall were Australia's flag bearers.

De Rozario was told the news the morning after the opening ceremony and began her Paris Games campaign in the T54 5000m heats the following day.

CONTINUE READING HERE.