Check out the Mass. athletes who medaled at the Paralympics

The 2024 Paralympics officially wrapped up on Sunday and Massachusetts athletes gave the commonwealth plenty to be proud of. After a successful Olympic performance by athletes from the Bay State, the hometown Paralympians are bringing home nine medals.

Here's a look at the Massachusetts athletes who medaled this year:

Salem native Leanne Smith took home four medals. She won gold in the women's 100 meter freestyle S3, setting a new Paralympic record with a time of 1:28.81. Smith's second gold came in the women's 50 meter freestyle S4, where she broke her own world record for the win in 40.03 seconds. Plus, she won silver with her team in the mixed 4x50 meter freestyle relay 20 points and mixed 4x50 meter medley relay 20 points.

Ahead of the Paralympics, the dominant swimmer had to come back from an infection that caused a partial lung collapse in 2022. Following the illness, Smith needed to re-learn to eat, speak and swim and was unsure if she would make it back to competitive swimming.

Alex Flynn, of Wilmington, won silver in the PR3 mixed four with coxswain final. Flynn is a Tufts University student and rows for the Jumbos. He won the medal along with Andover's Emelie Eldracher, who is not a para athlete, but served as the coxswain for the team. The MIT grad student spoke with WBUR's Lisa Mullins about the success and how it fits in with her graduate research.

Ben Washburne, a Connecticut native and a Williams College alum, also took home silver as part of the team with two other rowers.

First-time Paralympian Fiona Howard took home three gold medals in para equestrian atop her horse, Diamond Dunes. She won in grade II individual dressage, grade II freestyle dressage, where her routine was choreographed to music from the movie 'Avatar,' and collected a gold in team dressage. Howard only began riding Diamond Dunes in March.

Howard, who is originally from the U.K., move to the United States in 2016 and lists Boston as her home. She graduated Northeastern University in 2021.

Saige Harper, of Easthampton, came in seventh with her teammate in mixed PR3 double sculls in rowing. And Boston's own Femita Ayanbeku finished in sixth place in the women's 100 meter T64 on the track, finishing the sprint in 13.15 seconds.

Team USA finished third in the medal count overall, winning 105 medals, 36 of which were gold. The U.S. finished behind China and Great Britain, which took home 220 and 124 medals, respectively. For more on the games, read this wrap up from NPR.