When I went to Paris for the Paralympic Games, I was slightly fearful for them. After all, how do you follow such a successful Olympics? Could the city rouse itself for another mega show just a fortnight later? I needn’t have worried – these Games were equally wonderful.

While the undoubted star of the Olympics was the city of Paris itself, this time around the athletes were definitely the top attraction. I photographed some remarkable talents such as the young table tennis star Bly Twomney, who has cerebral palsy, the American sprint sensation Ezra Frech, the extraordinary swimmer Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araújo who has neither arms nor fully-formed legs, and even the world’s second tallest man who was competing in sitting volleyball.

Many of the iconic Olympic venues were used again for the Paralympic Games. In fact, you could argue that Stade Tour Eiffel was even better this time with the green football pitch balancing perfectly against the red autumnal sunsets. Plus, on the final day, athletes in the marathon races were able to compete on the Champs-Élysées (billed as the most beautiful avenue in the world) which never happened in the Olympics.

But it was the Paralympic athletes themselves who made these games special – so many with awe-inspiring stories, so often producing captivating sport. It’s this intoxicating mix that makes the Paralympics a real privilege to photograph.