Ukraine, leaders in the Paris pool

The first big numbers came at the Arena La Défense, with Ukraine winning three gold medals in para-swimming. Andrii Trusov broke his own world record in the men’s 50m freestyle S7 to take first place, and Yaroslav Denysenko won his first Paralympic gold in the men’s 100m freestyle S10. The Ukrainian team completed their dominance by winning the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay 49 points. “It was the dream of my life,” said Denysenko. “Since I was five years old, my only wish for birthdays and every other celebration was to win a Paralympic gold medal, and it came true.”

Mexico’s Arnulfo Castorena won his fourth Paralympic gold in the men’s 50m breaststroke SB2, 24 years after winning his first at Sydney 2000. At 46, Castorena is 32 years older than Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 14-year-old Ismail Barlov, who took silver.

Déjà vu in wheelchair fencing

It was déjà vu for Thailand’s Saysunee Jana and China’s Xiao Rong, who faced each other in a gold medal match for the second time in this competition. The result was identical to Tuesday’s: Jana defeated Xiao to claim gold, this time in the women’s category B foil event.

Great Britain’s Dimitri Coutya stopped China’s Feng Yanke from winning his third consecutive gold in the men’s category B foil, improving on his bronze from Tokyo 2020. “I’ve faced him many times and he’s always been my biggest rival. I knew that if I wanted to win a Paralympic gold medal, I would have to beat him. He’s at his best, so I told myself to get into the best mindset and carry it through. And that’s exactly what happened in the match,” said Coutya.

Singh makes history for India

India’s Harvinder Singh climbed from ninth place in the preliminary round of the men’s individual recurve event to take the title, becoming India’s first Paralympic or Olympic gold medallist in archery.

“Unfortunately, I slipped to ninth in qualification (last Thursday), but I just made my emotions strong and focused on my next match, because only then could I progress through the rounds, one by one, match by match, until the gold.” Singh decisively defeated Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek 6-0 in the gold medal match.

Mission accomplished in Clichy-sous-Bois

It was mission accomplished for para-cycling legends Sarah Storey and Oksana Masters. Storey defended her gold in the women’s C5 individual time trial, while Masters did the same in the women’s H4-5 individual time trial.

“This is definitely one of my favourites,” said Masters. “Defending the Paralympic time trial title in cycling. I didn’t expect it at all. And in Paris, no less.” Storey came back from a seven-second deficit in the first time trial to win her 18th Paralympic gold.

Dutch cyclist Tristan Bangma, who had already won gold in the 4,000m men’s individual pursuit on the track, continued his success on the road, winning the men’s B individual time trial, finishing 12.71 seconds ahead of silver medallist Elie de Carvalho.

“I think the most important thing is that we won. That’s what we came here for. The preparation was incredible, we were super well prepared and strong,” said Bangma. “Since Tokyo (2020), a lot of time and money has been invested in developing our tandem. Hours, tears, and frustration went into preparing the best tandem possible, and I think this is the result of it.”

The Netherlands had a strong performance on the first day of track para-cycling events, with five gold medals.

Take-off in para-powerlifting

The first champions of Paris 2024 in para-powerlifting have been crowned. Jordan’s Omar Qarada defended his title in the men’s up to 49kg category. Qarada attempted to break the world record of 185kg but fell short, winning with 181kg and stating that his next goal is to break the world record, which is currently held by bronze medallist Le Van Cong from Vietnam.

China took both available women’s golds, with Guo Lingling setting a world record in the up to 45kg event and Cui Zhe winning her first Paralympic title in the up to 41kg final. “I’ve been consistent for many years, but it hasn’t been easy,” said Cui. “I’ve felt that I had a mission I’d never completed. Becoming a Paralympic champion has always been my goal, and I’ve always believed I could achieve it.” Kazakhstan’s David Degtyarev, the favourite in the men’s up to 54kg category, won the gold medal, securing his second consecutive Paralympic title.

Demi and Daula on top

The stunning Château de Versailles served as the backdrop for the para-equestrian events, where two Dutch riders climbed the podium in the grade IV individual test. Demi Haerkens took gold in her Paralympic debut, with Sanne Voets winning silver. “I’m so happy and overwhelmed,” said Haerkens. “It was such a lovely ride. I dreamed of this ride. She (her horse, Daula) was so focused, with such lovely quality and softness. I’m very happy to perform in this arena with such a quality horse.”

Belgium’s Michele George won her seventh Paralympic medal, taking gold in the grade V individual test, and reflected on the difference between this medal and the one she won in Tokyo. “She (her horse, Best of 8) was a bit tense at the start, a bit nervous. She’s not used to a crowd, unlike at the last Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where there were no spectators due to Covid. That was the big question I had with her, how she would react to the crowd because she’s very sensitive. But she was amazing.”

Teammates and rivals

Para-table tennis pitted China’s Zhang Bian against Pan Jiamin. Zhang won the duel, securing her eighth Paralympic gold. “I think the most important thing was keeping calm and consistent, and that made me feel like I had the match won,” said Zhang. “We’re teammates and she has beaten me before, so it was important to adjust my attitude.”

Australia’s Qian Yang won her second gold of Paris 2024, convincingly defeating Poland’s Natalia Partyka in straight sets. “I’m very excited and happy to have this after Tokyo,” said Yang. “Before the match, I didn’t expect to win. But I prepared well and tried to predict where Natalia would attack.”

Poland’s Patryk Chojnowski also secured his second gold of the Games, this time winning the men’s MS10 individual final.

Debut medallists in para-shooting

On the penultimate day of para-shooting competition, several Paralympic medallists reached the podium for the first time. Despite finishing 20th in the P1 men’s 10m air pistol SH1 on 30 August, Italy’s Davide Franceschetti recovered to win bronze in the P4 50m mixed pistol SH1 event on Wednesday. “I had negative feelings after my first session, but I learned from it. I used everything I learned from that game, and this is the result.”

Meanwhile, Dragan Ristic defended his title in the R9 50m mixed rifle prone SH2, with silver going to Georgia’s Vladimer Tchintcharauli, whose best previous Paralympic result in the event was 20th at Tokyo 2020. The bronze went to Britain’s Tim Jeffery, who reached the Paralympic podium for the first time.

Day 7 Full Podiums:

Track para-cycling

Women's Individual Time Trial C5
Gold: Sarah Storey (GBR)
Silver: Heidi Gaugain (FRA)
Bronze: Alana Forster (AUS)

Women's Individual Time Trial C4
Gold: Samantha Bosco (USA)
Silver: Meg Lemon (AUS)
Bronze: Franziska Matile-Doerig (SUI)

Men's Individual Time Trial C2
Gold: Alexandre Leaute (FRA)
Silver: Ewoud Vromant (BEL)
Bronze: Darren Hicks (AUS)

Men's Individual Time Trial C1
Gold: Ricardo Ten Argiles (ESP)
Silver: Michael Teuber (GER)
Bronze: Zbigniew Maciejewski (POL)

Women's Individual Time Trial C1-3
Gold: Maike Hausberger (GER)
Silver: Fran Brown (GBR)
Bronze: Anna Beck (SWE)

Women's Individual Time Trial H4-5
Gold: Oksana Masters (USA)
Silver: Chantal Haenen (NED)
Bronze: Sun Bianbian (CHN)

Men's Individual Time Trial H2
Gold: Sergio Garrote Muñnoz (ESP)
Silver: Luca Mazzone (ITA)
Bronze: Florian Jouanny (FRA)

Men's Individual Time Trial H1
Gold: Fabrizio Cornegliani (ITA)
Silver: Maxime Hordies (BEL)
Bronze: Nicolas Petier du Preez (RSA)

Women's Individual Time Trial H1-3
Gold: Katerina Brim (USA)
Silver: Lauren Parker (AUS)
Bronze: Annika Zeyen-Giles (GER)

Men's Individual Time Trial T1-2
Gold: Chen Jianxin (CHN)
Silver: Nathan Clement (CAN)
Bronze: Tim Celen (BEL)

Women's Individual Time Trial T1-2
Gold: Marieke van Soest (NED)
Silver: Celine van Till (SUI)
Bronze: Emma Lund (DEN)

Men's Individual Time Trial B
Gold: Tristan Bangma (NED)
Silver: Elie de Carvalho (FRA)
Bronze: Vincent ter Schure (NED)

Men's Individual Time Trial C5
Gold: Daniel Abraham Gebru (NED)
Silver: Alistair Donohoe (AUS)
Bronze: Dorian Foulon (FRA)

Men's Individual Time Trial C4
Gold: Kevin le Cunff (FRA)
Silver: Gatien le Rousseau (FRA)
Bronze: Damian Ramos Sanchez (ESP)

Men's Individual Time Trial C3
Gold: Thomas Peyroton-Dartet (FRA)
Silver: Eduardo Santas Asensio (ESP)
Bronze: Matthias Schindler (GER)

Women's Individual Time Trial B
Gold: Katie-George Dunlevy (IRL)
Silver: Sophie Unwin (GBR)
Bronze: Lora Fachie (GBR)

Men's Individual Time Trial H5
Gold: Mitch Valize (NED)
Silver: Loic Vergnaud (FRA)
Bronze: Luis Costa (POR)

Men's Individual Time Trial H4
Gold: Jetze Plat (NED)
Silver: Thomas Fruehwirth (AUT)
Bronze: Jonas Van de Steene (BEL)

Men's Individual Time Trial H3
Gold: Mathieu Bosredon (FRA)
Silver: Johan Quaile (FRA)
Bronze: Martino Pini (ITA)

Para-athletics

Women's Discus Throw - F41
Gold: Raoua Tlili (TUN)
Silver: Youssra Karim (MAR)
Bronze: Estefany Gisela Lopez-Macas (ECU)

Men's Shot Put - F46
Gold: Greg Stewart (CAN)
Silver: Sachin Sarjerao Khilari (IND)
Bronze: Luka Bakovic (CRO)

Men's Javelin Throw - F34
Gold: Saeid Afrooz (IRI)
Silver: Mauricio Valencia (COL)
Bronze: Diego Fernando Meneses Medina (COL)

Men's 400m - T37
Gold: Andrei Vdovin (NPA)
Silver: Bartolomeu da Silva Chaves (BRA)
Bronze: Amen Allah Tissaoui (TUN)

Women's Shot Put - F46
Gold: Noelle Malkamaki (USA)
Silver: Mariia Shpatkivska (UKR)
Bronze: Holly Robinson (NZL)

Men's Long Jump - T38
Gold: Khetag Khinchagov (NPA)
Silver: Zhong Huanghao (CHN)
Bronze: José Gregorio Lemos Rivas (COL)

Women's 100m - T36
Gold: Shi Yiting (CHN)
Silver: Danielle Aitchison (NZL)
Bronze: Veronica Hipolito (BRA)

Men's Shot Put - F36
Gold: Vladimir Sviridov (NPA)
Silver: Alan Kokoity (NPA)
Bronze: Dastan Mukashbekov (KAZ)

Men's 100m - T53
Gold: Abdulrahman Alqurashi (KSA)
Silver: Pongsakorn Paeyo (THA)
Bronze: Ariosvaldo Fernandes da Silva (BRA)

Men's 100m - T54
Gold: Juan Pablo Cervantes García (MEX)
Silver: Athiwat Paeng-Nuea (THA)
Bronze: Leo-Pekka Tahti (FIN)

Women's 100m - T53
Gold: Samantha Kinghorn (GBR)
Silver: Catherine Debrunner (SUI)
Bronze: Gao Fang (CHN)

Women's 100m - T54
Gold: Lea Bayekula (BEL)
Silver: Tatyana McFadden (USA)
Bronze: Amanda Kotaja (FIN)

Women's Shot Put - F32
Gold: Anastasiia Moskalenko (UKR)
Silver: Wanna Helena Brito Oliveira (BRA)
Bronze: Evgeniia Galaktionova (NPA)

Men's Long Jump - T64
Gold: Markus Rehm (GER)
Silver: Derek Loccident (USA)
Bronze: Jarryd Wallace (USA)

Men's Club Throw - F51
Gold: Dharambir (IND)
Silver: Pranav Soorma (IND)
Bronze: Zeljko Dimitrijevic (SRB)

Para-equestrian

Individual Test - Grade IV - Para Grand Prix
Gold: Demi Haerkens (NED)
Silver: Sanne Voets (NED)
Bronze: Anna-Lena Niehues (GER)

Individual Test - Grade V - Para Grand Prix
Gold: Michele George (BEL)
Silver: Regine Mispelkamp (GER)
Bronze: Sophie Wells (GBR)

Para-powerlifting

Men’s Up to 49kg
Gold: Omar Sami Hamadeh Qarada (JOR)
Silver: Abdullah Kayapinar (TUR)
Bronze: van Cong Le (VIE)

Women’s Up to 45kg
Gold: Guo Lingling (CHN)
Silver: Zoe Newson (GBR)
Bronze: Nazmiye Muratli (TUR)

Wheelchair Tennis

Quad Doubles
Gold: Schroder/Vink (NED)
Silver: Lapthorne/Slade (GBR)
Bronze: Ramphadi/Sithole (RSA)

Wheelchair Fencing

Men’s Foil Category B
Gold: Dimitri Coutya (GBR)
Silver: Feng Yanke (CHN)
Bronze: Hu Daoliang (CHN)

Women’s Foil Category B
Gold: Saysunee Jana (OR)
Silver: Xiao Rong (CHN)
Bronze: Beatrice Maria Vio Grandis (ITA)

Para-Shooting

P4 - Mixed 50m Pistol SH1
Gold: Yang Chao (CHN)
Silver: Server Ibragimov (UZB)
Bronze: Davide Franceschetti (ITA)

R9 - Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH2
Gold: Dragan Ristic (SRB)
Silver: Vladimer Tchintcharauli (GEO)
Bronze: Tim Jeffery (GBR)

Para-table Tennis

Women's Singles - WS10
Gold: Qiang Yang (AUS)
Silver: Natalia Partyka (POL)
Bronze: Alexandre Bruna (BRA) / Tian Shiau Wen (TPE)

Women's Singles - WS5
Gold: Zhang Bian (CHN)
Silver: Pan Jiamin (CHN)
Bronze: Jung Young A (KOR) / Moon Sunghye (KOR)

Men's Singles - MS10
Gold: Patryk Chojnowski (POL)
Silver: Lian Hao (CHN)
Bronze: Mateo Boheas (FRA) / Filip Radovic (MNE)

Para-swimming

Men's 100m Freestyle - S12
Gold: Yaroslav Denysenko (UKR)
Silver: Maksym Veraksa (UKR)
Bronze: Raman Salei (AZE)

Women's 100m Freestyle - S12
Gold: Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (BRA)
Silver: Anna Stetsenko (UKR)
Bronze: Tsujiuchi Ayano (JPN)

Men's 200m Individual Medley - SM14
Gold: Nicholas Bennett (CAN)
Silver: Rhys Darbey (GBR)
Bronze: Ricky Betar (AUS)

Women's 200m Individual Medley - SM14
Gold: Valeriia Shabalina (NPA)
Silver: Poppy Maskill (GBR)
Bronze: Kinoshita Aira (JPN)

Women's 400m Freestyle - S8
Gold: Jessica Long (USA)
Silver: Alice Tai (GBR)
Bronze: Xenia Francesca Palazzo (ITA)

Men's 50m Breaststroke - SB2
Gold: Arnulfo Castorena (MEX)
Silver: Ismail Barlov (BIH)
Bronze: Grant Patterson (AUS)

Women's 50m Breaststroke - SB3
Gold: Monica Boggioni (ITA)
Silver: Patricia Pereira dos Santos (BRA)
Bronze: Marta Fernández Infante (ESP)

Men's 50m Freestyle - S7
Gold: Andrii Trusov (UKR)
Silver: Carlos Daniel Serrano Zárate (COL)
Bronze: Egor Efrosinin (NPA)

Women's 100m Freestyle - S7
Gold: Jiang Yuyan (CHN)
Silver: Morgan Stickney (USA)
Bronze: Giulia Terzi (ITA)

Women's 100m Freestyle - S9
Gold: Alexa Leary (AUS)
Silver: Christie Raleigh-Crossley (USA)
Bronze: Mariana Ribeiro (BRA)

Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay - 49 Points
Gold: Ukraine
Silver: Brazil
Bronze: Spain

Para-archery

Men’s Individual - Recurve
Gold: Harvinder Singh (IND)
Silver: Lukasz Ciszek (POL)
Bronze: Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri (IRI)