No matter the colour of their medal, Australia's Paralympians had one message overnight, follow your dreams.
Day four started with a bang, when it took Nikki Ayers and Jed Altschwager less than seven and a half minutes to etch their names into Paralympic history books.
The duo arrived in Paris as PR3 mixed double sculls world champions and world record holders, but had their work cut out for them in the event's Games debut.
They proved easily too good for their opponents, crossing the finish line nearly two full seconds before their next competitor to collect the first gold of its kind.
Ayers said post race she wants the historic medal to be a "symbol of hope" for people back home.
"For every person out there with a disability, male, female, everyone, never give up and keep striving for your dreams and it'll come true," Ayers said.
The medal marks Australia's first ever para rowing gold, and it's something Ayers said the pair were hungry for from the get go.
They've been competing as a team for just 12-months and credited their friendship off the water as key in their success.
Ayers moved from Canberra to Altschwager's home city Adelaide last year in order to train together daily.
It was a move that's been worth it's weight in gold.
"We have the same core values, the same core principles," Altschwager said.
"She's an incredible human being and we've been able to connect and, you know, get it done."
"We made the commitment from the beginning that we want to be in this to get gold, and so every day we were striving to be the best athletes we could be and do that one per cent more every single day, and it's paid off," Ayers said.
Earlier in the rowing day, a "lucky" Erik Horrie was elevated into the bronze medal position in the men's PR1 single sculls after his opponent was found cheating.
Italian Giacomo Perini was disqualified for using a communication device during competition in breach of Paralympic rules.
Horrie, who crossed the line fourth, was subsequently moved into the bronze position.
"It's the joys of sport. There are rules, and as athletes, we stick to them," Horrie said.
"I'm just excited about getting the bronze. I'm at my fourth Games and I can say that I've medalled at every single Paralympics that I've been to."
Temporary disqualification doesn't hinder medal chances
If there was gold for mental strength then para swimmer Ahmed Kelly would have taken it out overnight after he was disqualified and then reinstated during the SM3 150m individual medley competition.
The second time he's been issued a DSQ this week, he was initially struck from his heat for swimming the incorrect stroke, butterfly, during the freestyle leg of the race. But he quickly launched a challenge to the disqualification, with the rule book stating freestyle can be any stroke other than breaststroke or backstroke.
It didn't take long for him to be reinstated and given his starting lane in the final.
And while for those at home, a disqualification might have caused a spiral, Kelly remained collected, leading the final for most of the race before finishing with a silver medal around his neck.
"It's quite special to be able to do what we did tonight, so I've just got to really enjoy this moment," Kelly said.
"It's hard to believe what has happened over the last few hours but we're here tonight and we can now celebrate a little bit."
Fellow Australian and four-time Paralympian Grant 'Scooter' Patterson wasn't far behind him, securing bronze.
"We keep doing what we do to inspire and motivate the next generation," Patterson said.
"All you youngsters out there, never give up, follow your dreams."
Also at the pool, Rowan Crothers went silver in the S10 100m freestyle with Tom Gallagher in bronze behind him and the S14 mixed 4x100m relay team also took home silver.
Sprinkles of silver and bronze across Paris
It's not just the water sports where Aussies shone, but at the track and of course the velodrome too.
Danya Crees threw an Australian record throw of 17.65m in the F34 javelin to secure herself a bronze medal in her Paralympic debut.
Also on Paralypmic debut, 20-year-old Mali Lovell picked up bronze in the T36 200m event, pipping Argentine Araceli Rotela for the medal but just 0.07 seconds.
And the Aussie riders were back at it again, this time it was in the open C1-5 750m team sprint where Gordon Allan, Korey Boddington, and Alistair Donohoe secured bronze.
Australia to earn best ever boccia medal
Australia has only ever won bronze in boccia, but that is all about to change.
Daniel Michel and ramp assistant Ashlee Maddern and Jamieson Leeson and ramp assistant Jasmine Heydon have made their respective gold medal matches.
They'll compete early Tuesday morning, but one thing is certain, their medals will be historic regardless of what colour they are.
Rugby disappointment
Australia will not get a gold medal for wheelchair rugby after the Steelers lost by one try to Japan in overtime.
Team stalwart Ryley Batt said the side can't dwell on the loss as they prepare to play for a bronze medal on Monday night.
Seine says no, again
Perhaps it is no surprise at all, but the para triathlon events have once again been postponed due to pollution concerns.
The Seine was also used during the Olympics, with racing delayed several times for athlete safety.
Medal tally
As we wave goodbye to day four, Australia remains sixth on the medal tally with six gold, six silver and ten bronze.
China is first, with 33 gold, 27 silver, and 11 bronze. Great Britain, the United States, Brazil, and France fill the other spots.
DAY THREE RECAP: Aussie left 'numb' but Reid, Lei and Na defend golds
Australia's Jaryd Clifford has been left "numb" after his medal dreams were dashed following disqualification in Paris overnight.
The 25-year-old appeared to have secured himself a bronze medal in the men's 5000m T13 race but became untethered from his guide runner as they neared the finish line.
It's the second disqualification Australian athletes have faced this Paralympic campaign.
Clifford took to social media to acknowledge the result was from his own actions, and spoke with media about grieving with his family and friends after the race.
"Out on the track, I was a little bit numb, I'm still a bit numb ... I am pretty shattered, to be honest, if I'm frank about it, we went in with the aim of winning gold," Clifford said.
But while there were commiserations at Stade de France, the green and gold medals just kept on coming at the velodrome.
The Aussies were celebrating hard once again when Amanda Reid defended her C1-3 500m time trial.
Reid was elated post-race having secured the win with a factored time of 33.676 seconds after spending the past 12-months training with a back injury.
The last rider to contest the time trial, she headed into her race knowing exactly what she needed to do for that illustrious gold.
"It's an unreal feeling, the past 12 months have been really hard for me so to go back to back feels really amazing," Reid said.
"I tried not to think about the race too much and just go for it, ride the two laps and just go as fast as I can."
I’m absolutely gutted that we made such a critical mistake today. Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule of guiding & I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those finals metres. I’ve got so much more to give, I promise to bring everything for the 1500m on Tuesday ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Pd2t1vplhV
— Jaryd Clifford (@JarydClifford) August 31, 2024
Reid was the first Indigenous Australian to win a Paralympic gold medal when she won the same race in Tokyo.
She is one of four Indigenous athletes in Paris with the Australian team.
"To represent my country and the people at home is amazing. Just don't give up," she said.
Individual table tennis stars combine for gold
Aussie table tennis duo Li Na Lei and Qian Yang have backed up their individual 2020 gold medals with doubles gold overnight.
The pair were the only Australians to make it past day one of competition, defeating China and Brazil in the earlier finals to make the gold medal match against Chinese Taipei.
Table tennis is a best-of-five match and after winning the first two games, the gold medal was in sight but the Chinese Taipei pair weren't going down without a battle.
After comfortable wins in their first two games, 11-7 and 11-6, the Aussies slipped in the third, and were pushed to their limits to secure the gold thanks to a 12-10 win in the fourth game.
Aussies add to swimming, athletics hauls
Opening ceremony flag bearer Madiso de Rozario has finally snagged an elusive T54 5000m medal.
It was a tight contest, and one that required a restart, but de Rozario just held in a last metres battle with two other contenders to secure bronze. She'll now shift her focus to the 1500m and marathon events.
"It was a bit daunting. I wasn't sure what that [my second start] was going to look like but I'm happy," de Rozario said.
When the Paris games removed the marathon for Michael Roeger's classification from the 2024 program, he shifted focus.
With only the T46 1500m race to contend, 37-year-old had a big lead coming into the final straight, but was pipped at the post by defending champion Aleksandr Iaremchuk.
Rounding out the overnight medals we return to the pool where Jack Ireland set an Oceania record in the men's 200m freestyle S14 final to take home bronze.
Ireland said he was lost for words after securing his first Paralympic medal just days after his 25th birthday.
"Honestly, there's no words to describe this feeling," he said.
"Especially winning a medal at this level as well, especially at a full house as well. There's no words to describe it.
"You can bounce back with anything. You certainly can bounce back from failure as well."
Chocolate muffin love spans across games
When Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen went viral for his love of the chocolate muffins in the Olympic Village last month, they quickly became the hottest commodity in Paris.
Fast-forward to the Paralympics and the muffin fanfare continues.
@paris2024officiel Do you know the muffin man? #paris2024 #paralympics ♬ original sound - The Y (ymca)
After securing her spot in the women's 200m T36 final on Sunday morning, Australian sprinter Mali Lovell was quick to call out the sweet treats, saying they've been her favourite part of the Games so far.
What is ahead for day five?
As we at home all cross our fingers for boccia gold, there's plenty of action across Paris to tune in for.
Jamieson Leeson and ramp assistant Jasmine Heydon line up first at 2:30am in the women's gold medal match before Daniel Michel and ramp assistant Ashlee Maddern play at 4:00am on Tuesday.
For those who prefer a late night rather than an early morning, the Steelers will compete for bronze at 9:30pm Monday night, hoping to go one better than they did in Tokyo.
Heats continue in the para athletics at Stade de France, but Rheed McCracken has secured his spot in the T34 100m final at 7:20pm and Michal Burian will throw for gold in the F64 javelin final at 3:00am.
Meanwhile para archery and para table tennis have continued to progress quietly in the background, with Australia featuring in the rounds of 16 and quarter finals respectively.
And of course there'll be plenty more action in the pool, with heats being swum late Monday night before finals begin from 1:30am on Tuesday.
