Swimmer Tom Gallagher has delivered Australia’s first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics to cap a remarkable comeback from a near-deadly bout of pancreatitis. Gallagher powered home through the final throes of the men’s S10 50m freestyle final at a packed La Defense Arena to snatch first place with a finishing time of 23.40secs.

The 25-year-old’s surge down the home stretch ensured he held off a chasing pack that included Australian teammate Rowan Crothers, who finished the race with bronze. Gallagher’s gold and Crothers’ third-place finish took Australia’s medal tally in the pool to four on day one in Paris following an earlier silver for Lakeisha Patterson and bronze for Brenden Hall.

Success was especially elating for Gallagher, who finished with a bronze in S10 400m freestyle in Tokyo but his pancreatitis caused him so much pain he couldn’t take his spot on the podium.

“Being the first gold medal of the comp means so much for me,” Gallagher said. “In Tokyo I was a different athlete, I had a lot of medical issues in my pancreas, so after the 400m, I ended up in hospital for about a month and nearly died.

“I luckily had a surgery a few years ago now that’s fixed it all and I’ve managed to turn into a sprinter. Pancreatitis is extremely painful, my heart rate went up to 240bpm and all my internal organs started shutting down.

“I wasn’t able to go on the podium that night but tonight makes up for it. “

Crothers, whose bronze was his fourth Paralympic medal, couldn’t help but admire his teammate’s perseverance en route to his first gold medal.

“I’ve won that race before but today Tommy did and a bronze medal is dang good,” Crothers said. “What a story… I think Tom’s such an incredible athlete and he’s had to overcome so much.”

Gallagher and Crothers’s medal double haul helped put a shine on an afternoon that began with a bang but threatened to end in heartache for many of Australia’s medal hopefuls.

Several Australians fell just short of the podium including Alexa Leary, who earlier on Thursday set a world record – which was surpassed 10 minutes later – and finished sixth in the women’s S10 50m freestyle. Ben Hance had to settle for fourth in the men’s S14 100m butterfly, while Paige Leonhardt placed seventh in the women’s S14 100m butterfly.

Hall got bronze in the opening race of the afternoon – the men’s S9 400m freestyle – while Patterson finished with silver after relinquishing her commanding lead to Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly on the final lap of women’s race.

“I could see her closing in that last 200 and I like a chase and thought I’d be able to get there tonight,” Patterson said. “I certainly can’t complain, it’s my third Paralympics now and I’ve podiumed at all three Games and that’s a special feeling.”

It felt like a fitting end for Hall’s seven-medal Paralympic career, who indicated this would be his last Games. Hall, meanwhile, made a late dash to claim bronze after missing out on medals at Tokyo.

The 31-year-old’s race was made all the more dramatic by French local Ugo Didier surging past Italy’s Simone Barlaam on the final stretch to claim gold.

“I was after a little bit of redemption, and I just wanted to come back with a medal this time,” Hall said. “I didn’t care what colour it was and so to be able to do it in front of people who mean the most to me, that’s what made me feel it the most.”

Hall said the medal win took on extra significance given it was the first time his two-year-old son Bodhi had been able to see him compete.

“Give him another year he’ll realise what dad did was pretty important stuff,” Hall said. “At the moment he’s just enjoying watching dad swim and have a lot of fun and for me that’s the most important thing.”

The Steelers’ bid for Paralympic wheelchair rugby glory hangs by a thread after they slumped to defeat at the hands of Great Britain earlier on Thursday. Australia were beaten 58-55 in their pool B opener at Champs-de-Mars Arena on Thursday and now face a daunting task to reach the semi-finals and contend for a medal.

The Steelers, who are ranked No.1 in the world and finished fourth in Tokyo, were neck and neck with the reigning gold medallists until GB pulled away at the start of the third quarter. It means Australia now has little room for failure with wins against hosts France and Denmark needed to guarantee their qualification for the medal matches.