Across a photographic career spanning more than a quarter of a century, Fiona Goodall has covered FIFA World Cups as well as Cricket and Rugby World Cups. Here the official Getty photographer for the NZ Paralympic Team at Paris 2024 selects some of her favourite images from the 11-days of memorable competition in the French capital.
1. Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi
Anna Grimaldi claimed a bronze medal in the Women’s 100m T47 to kick start her Paralympic Games with a podium spot.
“I love this shot because she seemed both shocked and delighted with the result,” explains Fiona. “Anna is always a delight to photograph because her every reaction is so genuine. She is never afraid of showing emotion. This image not only captures the emotions, but her disability is visible too, which to me clearly shows the journey she has had overcome to be there.”
2. Paralympian #232 Wojtek Czyz
Para badminton player Wojtek Czyz put up a brave effort in the Men’s Singles SL3 finishing equal seventh. Fiona was delighted with this spectacular action shot of the German-born Kiwi for several reasons.
“You can see with this image the dynamism you require in Para badminton,” adds Fiona.
“I imagine it can be challenging to compete in Para badminton with a blade, but you clearly see the agility and total commitment Wojtek puts into this shot. He is almost horizontal.”
3. Paralympian #233 Louise Duncan and Showcase BC
Louise Duncan was one of the standout personalities within the NZ Paralympic Team at Paris 2024. Finishing 13th in the Individual Grade IV Para Grand Prix Test, Louise was occasionally upstaged by the horse – including on this occasion.
“Covering the Para equestrian at Versailles was a real highlight for me because I have had a life-long involvement with riding horses,” explains Fiona. “It was a privilege to walk with Louise and her horse, Showcase, in the forest area after competition. The mascot happened to be walking by when Showcase became intrigued and wanted to say hi. Most horses would be spooked by this but not Showcase. This image ended up being projected on to the streets of Paris as part of a Getty project, which was really cool.”
4. Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie
Competing at his fourth Paralympic Games, Cameron advanced to four finals at Paris 2024 placing fourth in both the Men’s 50m Freestyle S4 and the Men’s 50m Backstroke S4.
“I was there for most of Cam’s races, and I noticed he sought out his family before every race,” says Fiona, who grabbed this image ahead of his last event on the schedule the Men’s 50m Backstroke S4 final. “It was clearly a bit thrill for Cam to have his three kids there and post-race he would give them a wave. All I needed to do was to capture that moment by finding a spot with a clean background.”
5. Paralympian #211 Danielle Aitchison
Danielle Aitchison was one of New Zealand’s star performers at Paris 2024 winning silver medals in both the Women’s 100m T36 and Women’s 200m T36 events.
Moments after clinching her second medal of the Games in the former event, Fiona snapped this striking shot.
“You also want to capture that moment when an athlete is celebrating a medal with the flag, but what makes this different is it is less posed, a bit more candid and a genuine reaction to winning silver. Danielle was almost spinning around in celebration – and I also like the way the flag is moving.”
6. Paralympian #238 Josh Willmer
Josh Willmer set a national record in his heat of the Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 but just missed out on a place in the final by one spot. For Fiona, with the face visible and the positioning of both the water and his hands, it makes for an eye-catching shot.
“To get clean images in swimming is challenging but breaststroke is the best opportunity because of the height the head comes out of the water,” explains Fiona.“ I like the way the water comes off his back and is out to the side of him and falls from his face. The hand position also works well.”
7. Paralympian #208 Will Stedman
Will raced to national record time to win the Men’s 400m T36 silver medal at Paris 2024 and this shot of the Cantabrian rising from the blocks is one of Fiona’s favourites.
“You often spend a lot of time focusing on athletes front on but this image offers a slightly different perspective from the side,” she explains. “You are never quite sure how the body will be positioned coming out of the blocks, but this shows both the athleticism and determination in Will. This shot fell so nicely into the frame.”
8. Paralympian #236 Neelam O’Neill and Paralympian #206 Greg Reid
Neelam O’Neill and Greg Reid both missed out on the final of the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 qualification but this touching moment between the pair makes for a compelling image.
“I had quite a challenging journey to the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, which is four hours south of Paris, and I only arrived five minutes before the end of Neelam and Greg’s qualification. I hung around after the competition, it was very crowded and the light wasn’t very good, so it was hard to get a clean angle. But then Greg came up to Neelam and gave her a big hug. This was the moment. I only shot three of four frames, but it captures that moment when the pressure valve was released post-competition. What is clear is that Neelam and Greg had wonderful support for each other and for their teammate Paralympian #148 Michael Johnson.
9. Paralympian #231 Peter Cowan
Peter crowned the competitive effort of the NZ Paralympic Team at Paris 2024 with a brilliant bronze in the Men’s 200m VL3 in the va’a boat. This shot of Pete with his hands on his face sums up the full range of emotions the Para canoeist was experiencing in the immediate wake of his podium performance.
“Technically this was a bit more challenging because I’d never been to that venue before and I stayed on the shore to take the image,” says Fiona. “Pete was both shocked and thrilled at the same time. I don’t think he believed it, and he kept shaking his head. His first reaction was to congratulate everyone else which shows what a humble guy he is.”
10. Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi
The defending champion may not have been pleased with a finishing position of fourth in the Women’s Long Jump T47 – but Fiona is delighted with capturing the body shape of Anna flying through the air.
“I hadn’t done long jump photography before, so before the event I chatted to a pair of Getty photographers regarding where I should position myself,” explains Fiona. “They suggested I sit alongside the TV camera in front of the pit and get really low. I took images of all the athletes in the competition almost to practice for Anna. I was happy with this shot because it shows the energy she has put into getting into that body position and the determination on her face.”
***Fiona would also like to give a huge thanks to the wider Getty Images team of photographers who helped make sure all our athletes who competed at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were captured.
All images courtesy of Fiona Goodall for Getty Images.
