Paris (AFP) – The USA won a third consecutive men’s Paralympic wheelchair basketball title on Saturday, and teenage Chinese swimmer Jiang Yuyan collected a remarkable seventh gold of the Paris Games. The Americans were made to fight at a packed Bercy Arena by a determined Great Britain, appearing in the final for the first time since 1996. But although the Britons cut the deficit to three points with 14 seconds remaining when Terry Bywater scored an audacious three-pointer, the Americans saw out the final seconds, scored a free throw, and took the glory with a 73-69 win. Jake Williams top-scored for the USA with 26 points, and Steve Serio hit 24 points. Team USA have now won gold at Rio, Tokyo, and Paris, and will go for four with a home crowd roaring them in Los Angeles in 2028.
Jiang, 19, who lost her right arm and leg in a car accident at the age of four, landed gold number seven in the pool by breaking the Paralympic world record in the women’s 100m backstroke S6 to defeat US defending champion Jessica Long on the final day of the swimming programme. She was one of a trio of Chinese swimmers who won titles in a frenetic 30-minute period as Paris 2024 said goodbye to La Defense Arena, one of the most atmospheric of the venues for the Olympics and Paralympics. The Chinese collected a further six medals, including a sweep of the podium in the women’s 200m individual medley SM5, ensuring they finished top of swimming’s medals table for a fourth straight Games.
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“It’s really incredible for me,” said Jiang. “I just finish each small goal, then have a rest and start again. I don’t overthink it, I just do it.” She added, “(Improving) the world record is a new challenge for me in the future. From now on, my competitor is myself.” Long, a double leg amputee, won the 18th gold medal of her career and the 31st overall since her debut at Athens 2004, as she eased to the 100m butterfly S8. She said she would be back at LA2028.
On the claycourts of Roland Garros, Britain’s Alfie Hewett had one hand on the men’s wheelchair tennis singles crown only to have it ripped from his grasp by 18-year-old Japanese player Tokito Oda. Hewett, who won gold in the doubles on Friday, had a gold medal point but had to settle for silver. At the Stade de France, British wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft won her second gold of these Games with victory in the T34 800m. It was the ninth Paralympic title of her career.
Meanwhile, the host nation had something to cheer about when France won the men’s blind football gold medal in a penalty shootout against Argentina, after the match in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower finished 1-1. The wheelchair fencing wrapped up at the Grand Palais, the ornate venue that has spawned millions of social media pictures since it debuted at the Olympics, as China’s women won the epee team gold. With one day of competition remaining on Sunday, China leads the medals table with 94 golds, Great Britain is second on 47 golds, and the USA third with 36. The Netherlands are fourth with 26 golds, and Italy sits fifth on 24 golds.
© 2024 AFP
