Marie Patouillet of France clinched the silver, marking her nation’s first medal of the Games, while Canada’s Kate O’Brien earned the bronze in the C4 classification.
China’s athletes continued their winning streak, with Li Zhangyu and Weicong Liang securing gold and silver, respectively, in the men’s C1 3000m individual pursuit, and Xiaomei Wang emerging victorious in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit. In para swimming, China’s dominance persisted, with Yuyan Jiang and Yi Chen clinching gold in the women’s 50m freestyle S6 and S10 classifications, respectively.
The refugee team celebrated their inaugural medal at a Paralympics when Afghan taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi was awarded the bronze after her opponent, Morocco’s Naoual Laarif, withdrew due to a concussion sustained in a previous match.
Khudadadi, who made history as the first Afghan woman to compete internationally since the Taliban’s resurgence, feels she represents the rights of Afghan women despite representing the refugee team.
Ugo Didier, a 22-year-old French swimmer, delighted the home crowd by upsetting the favorites and clinching France’s first gold medal in the men’s 400m freestyle S9 final. Simone Barlaam of Italy and Brenden Hall of Australia secured silver and bronze, respectively, while Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly triumphed in the women’s race.
Poland’s Kamil Otowski and Brazil’s Gabriel Araújo emerged victorious in the men’s 100m backstroke S1 and S2 classifications, respectively.
Elizabeth Marks earned the United States’ first medal, a silver in the women’s 50m freestyle S6, increasing her total to six medals across three Paralympic Games. China’s Jiang Yuyan claimed the gold in the event.
Despite concerns about the shallower pool at La Defense Arena, Australian para swimmers Benjamin Hance and Brenden Hall dismissed the notion, emphasizing that athletes should be prepared to perform at their best regardless of pool depth.
India’s 17-year-old Sheetal Devi, the youngest competitor in women’s para archery, impressed with a personal best score of 703 in the individual compound ranking rounds. Born without arms due to a condition called phocomelia, Devi and her partner Rakesh Kumar set a new mixed compound world record of 1399.
Turkey’s Öznur Cüre Girdi topped the individual competition with a world record score of 704.