Paralympians have packed their bags and are heading home after one of the most successful games in history.

Organizers are thrilled after 2.7 million spectators crammed into venues, 200,000 more than officials expected.

Ticket sales from the past two weeks garnered more than 70 million dollars in revenue.

There was disappointment from Team Canada though who had been hoping for a top eight finish in golds but had to settle for 20th place.

Canada finished far behind first place China with 231 medals and the United Kingdom with 120.

It was also hailed as one of the most competitive games in Paralympic history with more than 250 world records broken.

One of the Canadians who dazzled in this area was Montreal native Benoit Huot.

The 28 year old easily sailed to victory in the men’s 200 metre medley setting a new world record.

Both Huot and Hamilton’s Summer Mortimer accounted for almost a third of Canada’s total medal haul.

“Certainly I would have been happier with more medals,” jokes President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee David Legg. “But I’m not so sure I would never say that.”

Legg says there was tough competition and it’s tough to call it a disappointment after some performances.

He says London 2012 has become a real turning point for the Paralympic movement.

Reminiscing about his first games in 1996, he says they’ve come miles since Atlanta.

“You could count the amount of people that were in that stadium,” he says. “What a marked change in a relatively short period of time……from giving tickets away for free and having people not show up to selling tickets, (not cheap) and selling out.”

In London, Chef de Mission Gaetan Tardif says countries are sending more elite athletes in hopes of owning the podium themselves.

“I don’t think you’ll ever see Canada with a number three or number four finish again, can we do better than a 20th place finish? Absolutely!” he says.

Tardif wants Canada to do a much better job in recruiting athletes and helping them to train.

Canadian Paralympians will begin to return home today.

The first 13 will touch down in Calgary at 3:25 MST, and will include wheelchair basketball medallist Chad Jassman and wheelchair rugby medallist/Okotoks native Zak Madell.