This article contains notable highlights from the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China.
Heath Wesley Francis, OAM (born 16 November 1981 in Newcastle, New South Wales is an Australian athlete who has participated in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics. His right arm was amputated at the age of seven as a result of a mincing accident on his family farm in Booral, New South Wales.
Francis Kompaon is a T46 Papua New Guinean athlete.
Jim Bob Bizzell is a Paralympian athlete from the United States competing mainly in category T44 sprint events.
April Holmes is a Paralympic athlete from the USA competing mainly in category T44 sprint events.
Tatyana McFadden is an American Paralympic athlete competing in the category T54. McFadden has won twenty Paralympic medals in multiple Summer Paralympic Games and the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability in 2015.
Botswana made its Paralympic Games début at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, sending a single representative to compete in athletics. Morama entered only the women's 400m T46 sprint, and won gold, setting a world record time of 55.99. No further athletes from Botswana have competed at the Summer Games, and Botswana has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics - leaving the country with a 100% gold medal success rate so far.
Morocco made its Paralympic Games début at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul. It was represented by an all-male team, with five competitors in athletics, three in swimming, and a wheelchair basketball team. Abdeljalal Biare won a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle in swimming - Morocco's sole medal of the 1988 Games.
The 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from January 21 to 30, 2011. Athletes with disabilities competed, and the Championships were a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Algeria competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. It was the country's third participation in the Summer Paralympic Games. Its delegation consisted in six track and field athletes and two competitors in powerlifting. Sprinter Mohamed Allek, who has cerebral palsy, won all of Algeria's medals at these Games - three gold.
Simon Patmore, is an Australian Para-athletics and Para-snowboard competitor. He won a gold medal in the Men's 100m T46 at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, and bronze in the Men's 200m T46 at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. At the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, Patmore won a gold medal in the Men's Snowboard Cross SB-UL and bronze in the Men's Banked Slalom SB-UL.
Michael Roeger is an Australian T46 athletics competitor. He competed at the 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Paralympics in athletics in middle distance and marathon running events. He has won one gold, one silver and four bronze medals at the World Para Athletics Championships and a silver and bronze medal at the Paralympics. His gold in the Men's T46 marathon at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships was held as part of the London Marathon, set a new world record.
Guinea-Bissau made its Paralympic Games debut by sending a delegation to compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, having made its Olympic debut at 1996 Games. The delegation consisted of two athletes, Cesar Lopes Cardoso and Ussumane Cande, who both competed in track and field events. Neither athlete won a medal, with neither getting past the first round of their events.
Blake Leeper is a United States Paralympic athlete who specialised in sprint events typically in the T43, T44 and T62 classifications. He is a multiple medalist in both the Paralympics and World Championships. He is also a former world record holder in the 400m and three-time American record holder.
The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships was the biggest track and field competition for athletes with a disability since the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It was held in Lyon, France, and lasted from 20 to 28 July. Around 1,100 athletes competed, from 94 different countries. The event was held in the Stade du Rhône located at the Parc de Parilly in Vénissieux, in Lyon Metropolis.
Felipe de Sousa Gomes, known as Felipe Gomes, is a Paralympic athlete from Brazil. He mainly competes in category T11 sprint events. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London he took the gold in the T11 200m sprint.
Namibia competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Sandeep Singh Maan is an Indian Para athlete competing in Men's 100m, 200m, 400m and Long Jump events in the T46 category. He is bronze medallist in Asian Para Games 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. And three time silver medallist from the Asian Para Games; he won them at the 2010 and 2014 editions in Guangzhou, China and Incheon, Korea, respectively. He received the Arjuna award in 2016 for his outstanding sporting achievements, the Maharana pratap Award in 2012 from state sports council of Rajasthan, and the Aravali Award in 2019. He is a national record holder in 200m and 400m since 2012. And now his goal is towards winning medal in coming Para Commonwealth games 2022.
Madagascar sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the island country's fourth appearance at a Summer Paralympic Games since it made its debut sixteen years prior at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. Sprinter Revelinot Raherinandrasana was the sole athlete to represent the nation in Rio de Janeiro. In his event, the men's 1500 metres T45–T46, he finished tenth and last out of all the finishing athletes with a time of 4 minutes and 38.60 seconds.
Cyprus sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the island country's eighth consecutive appearance in a Summer Paralympiad having made its debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics. The Cypriot delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: sprinter Antonis Aresti and short-distance swimmer Karolina Pelendritou. Aresti placed sixth overall in the men's 400 metres T47 event and Pelendritou came fourth in the 100 metres breaststroke SB13 competition after losing the bronze medal by 20 cm (7.9 in) in the final.
Cyprus 
