Chinese Teenager Takes 7th Gold of Paris Paralympics

AFP/APP

Paris: Teenage Chinese swimmer Jiang Yuyan collected her seventh gold of the Paris Paralympics on Saturday, while the USA aimed to win a third consecutive men’s wheelchair basketball title.

Jiang, 19, who lost her right arm and leg in a car accident at the age of four, landed gold number seven by breaking the Paralympic world record in the women’s 100m backstroke S6, defeating US defending champion Jessica Long on the final day of the swimming program.

She was one of a trio of Chinese swimmers who won titles in a 30-minute period, as Paris 2024 said goodbye to La Defense Arena, one of the most atmospheric venues for the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Chinese team went on to collect six more medals, including a sweep of the podium in the women’s 200m individual medley SM5, ensuring they finished at the top of swimming’s medals table for a fourth straight Games.

“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 her 31st overall since debuting at Athens 2004, as she dominated the 100m butterfly S8.

USA Basketball Dominance?

At Bercy Arena, the USA men’s wheelchair team will aim to win a third title in a row, but they face a hungry Great Britain team making their first appearance in a Paralympic final since 1996.
Sharp-shooting Team GB guard Gregg Warburton should provide a test for the Americans in the same arena where LeBron James led his USA team to Olympic glory four weeks ago.

At the Stade de France, British wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft won her second gold of these Games with a victory in the T34 800m, marking the ninth Paralympic title of her career.

On the Roland Garros clay, Britain’s Alfie Hewett had one hand on the wheelchair tennis singles crown, but it was 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.

Meanwhile, the host nation had something to celebrate 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 ended 1-1.

The wheelchair fencing wrapped up at the Grand Palais, a venue that has inspired millions of social media photos since its debut at the Olympics, as China’s women won the epee team gold.

With several events still to be decided on the penultimate day of competition, China led the medals table with 94 golds, Great Britain was second with 47, and the USA was third with 35. The Netherlands held fourth with 26 golds, and Italy was fifth with 24.