Yovanni Philippe earns Mauritius its first Paralympic medal
A season-best 400m run brought Mauritius a historic bronze medal at Paris 2024.
Mauritius reached the Paralympic medal podium for the first time when Yovanni Philippe took bronze in the men’s 400m T20 at Paris 2024. The IPC identified the achievement as a national first in its report on the sixth day of competition.
A close finish and a national milestone
The official results record Philippe’s time as 48.30 seconds, a season best. Colombia’s Jhon Sebastian Obando Asprilla won in 48.09, while Spain’s David Jose Pineda Mejia took silver in 48.24. Philippe held third place by eight hundredths of a second ahead of Malaysia’s Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi.
The final took place at the Stade de France on 3 September. Alongside the individual achievement, the bronze added Mauritius to the list of nations to win a Paralympic medal. It gives the country’s sporting archive a precise milestone: a podium secured in a closely contested one-lap final.