Paris (AFP) – Switzerland landed a Paralympics double when Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug won the wheelchair marathon events on the final day of competition on Sunday. Among the final events, the USA women’s team will aim to emulate the men in winning the wheelchair basketball title, while there was still also action in para canoeing and powerlifting.
As the six weeks of Olympics and Paralympic fever in the City of Light came to a close, venues that have already hosted their last events were being dismantled before the closing ceremony in the Stade de France. Debrunner, 29, propelled her racing wheelchair through the autumnal chill in the streets of Paris to win the women’s marathon title in that category. She added to the four gold medals she has already won on the track at these Games, ranging from the 400 metres to the 5,000m, with a silver medal in the T53 100m thrown in for good measure.
“I’m extremely exhausted but very happy,” said Debrunner. “Winning this marathon means everything to me because to end this Paralympics with this is really something special.” Madison de Rozario of Australia took a courageous silver medal behind her, competing despite the death of her father on the day of the Paris opening ceremony.
Hug made up for a disappointing Games on the track by dominating the men’s wheelchair marathon, finishing three minutes and 40 seconds ahead of Hua Jin of China. One of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes of all time, David Weir, announced his career at the Games was over after he finished fifth. “It’s my last event for Great Britain,” 45-year-old Weir said. “No more international racing for me, I’ll do the city marathons. I feel proud and I am very emotional.”
A minute’s silence was held after one of the women’s marathons in memory of Rebecca Cheptegei, the Ugandan Olympic marathon runner who died this week after an attack by her partner. Cheptegei had finished 44th in the women’s marathon on August 11.
The USA women’s team will be determined to wrest the wheelchair basketball title back from the Netherlands, who beat China in the final in Tokyo three years ago when the Americans had to settle for bronze. The USA men’s team showed the way on Saturday as they won a third consecutive men’s title but they were made to fight by a determined Great Britain before sealing the gold with a 73-69 win.
On the final day’s action in the pool on Saturday, 19-year-old Chinese swimmer Jiang Yuyan collected a remarkable seventh gold of the Paris Games. Jiang, 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. “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.”
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. At 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.
Meanwhile, the host nation had something to cheer when France won the men’s blind football gold medal in a penalty shootout against Argentina on Saturday, after the match in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower finished 1-1. With several events still to complete, China dominate the medals table with 94 golds, Great Britain are second on 49 golds and the USA third with 36. China have finished top of the Paralympics standings at every Games since Athens 2004. The Netherlands are fourth with 26 golds and Brazil sit fifth on 25 golds. Host nation France are eighth with 19 golds.
© 2024 AFP
