Japan triumphs in wheelchair tennis

Japan’s Yui Kamiji and Manami Tanaka staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Dutch pair Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot in the women’s wheelchair tennis doubles final at Roland-Garros Stadium. The Japanese duo secured a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-8 victory in a gruelling match that lasted around three hours, ending the Netherlands' long-standing dominance, which stretched back to Barcelona 1992.

Kamiji and Tanaka’s victory marked a historic moment as they became the first Japanese women to claim gold in wheelchair tennis. Reflecting on the win, Kamiji said, "They are really good players, and they have a lot of titles on clay courts and other surfaces as well. We focused on how we can make our timing and position, and it really worked. It was really tough, but we made it."

She will face de Groot in the women’s singles final on 6 September, adding, "The Dutch have such a long history in wheelchair tennis. I saw Esther Vergeer watching our match. She’s the legend. That’s why many players followed in her footsteps and made a career out of wheelchair tennis. We are lucky that we can challenge the Dutch and make history ourselves."

Florian Jouanny takes first Para-cycling gold of the day

Florian Jouanny of France defended his title in the men’s road race H1-2, replicating his success from Tokyo 2020. Despite challenging weather conditions, Jouanny thrilled the home crowd with his performance. “It’s a hard course, but it brought a lot of pleasure, particularly with all the supporters who shouted my name and who encouraged us in the closing stages. It makes you forget the suffering a bit,” he said.

In the women’s road race H1-4, Australia’s Lauren Parker clinched gold, her third medal of the Paris Games after winning gold in the Para-triathlon PTWC and silver in the individual time trial H1-3. Parker expressed her delight. “I am so stoked. I really can't believe what I’ve accomplished in these Games. Two golds and one silver (road cycling, H1-3 individual time trial). I couldn’t be more happy."

Germany’s Annika Zeyen-Giles secured bronze, marking her second bronze in Paris after a third-place finish in the individual time trial H1-3.

Martinet wins judo silver in front of home crowd

French judoka Sandrine Martinet secured silver in the women’s J2 –48kg category at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, her fifth Paralympic medal overall. Despite her loss to Kazakhstan’s Akmaral Nauatbek in the final, Martinet cherished this achievement. “It is the most magnificent medal of the five (Paralympic medals) I’ve got. It has been extremely difficult to get it because I had big health issues for a year. It's been really, really hard to be here.”

Para-athletes battle through the rain

Despite wet conditions, Stade de France saw eight morning athletics finals. Morocco’s Mouncef Bouja took his first Paralympic medal, winning gold in the men’s 400m T12 final. “I am so proud of this. I came here after lots of sacrifices and lots of expectations. I prepared myself to try to beat the world record,” Bouja said.

Algeria’s Skander Djamil Athmani secured his second gold of the Games in the men’s 400m T13, having already triumphed in the men’s 100m T13. He shared his joy. “It makes me so happy. It was my goal. I came here for two gold medals, so today I accomplished my goal.” Athmani had aimed to break the world record but was hampered by the rain. “My biggest aim was to get one gold medal plus one (world) record. Pity that the record didn’t come because of today’s rain, but winning a second gold medal was the main thing and I am very satisfied with my exploit. Now I need some vacation. I want to sleep.”

In the women’s shot put F57, Algeria’s Safia Djelal retained her title from Tokyo 2020 by securing gold. Later in the day, Australia’s Vanessa Low broke the world record in the women’s long jump T63, while Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner and Cuba’s Omara Durand continued their dominance in Paris, winning gold in the women’s 400m T53 and women’s 100m T12, respectively.

Turkey claims third consecutive goalball gold

Turkey’s women’s goalball team, led by Sevda Altunoluk and Fatma Gul Guler, secured their third straight Paralympic gold, defeating Israel 8-3 in the final. Altunoluk made history by becoming the first athlete to win three Paralympic gold medals in goalball, scoring four goals in the match. “Three finals, three championships, three gold medals,” she said. "I can't explain my feelings because I am so happy and the feeling is so deep."

Japan’s men’s team also made history, winning their first Paralympic goalball gold with a 4-3 overtime victory against Ukraine.

Japan wins boccia bronze

Japan's team, consisting of Hidetaka Sugimura, Hiromi Endo, and Takayuki Hirose, claimed bronze in the mixed team BC1/BC2 event, defeating the Republic of Korea 8-3 at South Paris Arena. This was Endo’s second medal of Paris 2024, after securing bronze in the women’s individual BC1 event. “I am happy. I didn’t expect to win two medals at my first Paralympic Games. My primary goal was to enjoy myself at the Games. To return home with two medals is thrilling,” Endo shared.

New champions crowned in Para-powerlifting

Egypt had a strong showing in the powerlifting events at La Chapelle Arena, with Mohamed Elmenyawy winning his first Paralympic gold in the men’s up to 59kg category, and Rehab Ahmed finally securing gold in the women’s up to 55kg category after winning silver at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

China’s Zou Yi added to his world championship title by winning gold in the men’s up to 65kg category. Zou explained, “Compared to the world title, I feel more excited for this one. The meaning is different. I’ve won at the world championships, and I was missing the Paralympic gold. I’m thankful to the people around me who have been supporting me and encouraging me to keep going.”

Venezuela’s Clara Sarah Fuentes Monasterio set a new Paralympic record by lifting 124kg in the women’s up to 50kg category, improving on her bronze from Tokyo 2020.

Aurelie Rivard returns to the top in swimming

Canada’s Aurelie Rivard claimed her first swimming gold at Paris 2024, winning the women’s 400m freestyle S10. Having already won silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 50m freestyle, Rivard reflected on the difficulty of her journey. “It’s surreal right now because it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do prepare for this race,” she said. “Especially mentally ever since the 2022 world championships when I couldn’t finish (this event), but also at the beginning of the week when I had two disappointing performances. I had to find the confidence to show up tonight and deliver. It took a lot and I am really proud. I am happy I was able to overcome my fears.”

Brazil’s Talisson Henrique Glock also secured his third medal of the Games, winning silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S6 to add to his two bronze medals. “I am very happy with the result of this race, it is not even my speciality. Every day that passes, I am developing better in the long-distance races. In Tokyo, I got bronze, so coming away with silver here is very gratifying. It means an evolution,” Glock commented.

China continued its dominance in the pool, with Guo Jincheng winning the men’s 50m freestyle S5 gold in a world record time, his fifth medal at his debut Games.

Stefano Travisani’s archery redemption

The final Para-archery medals were awarded in Paris, with Italy’s Stefano Travisani and Elisabetta Mijno taking gold in the mixed team recurve open. Travisani, who had a disappointing individual performance, was thrilled with the outcome. “Yesterday, for me, was a really bad day,” he admitted. “I really can’t imagine then to finish like this, one day later. I did a miracle, I don’t know, and I love this sport for this reason.”

Slovenia’s Dejan Fabcic and Ziva Lavrinc won bronze in the event. Fabcic, who has competed in three different Paralympic sports, celebrated his first Paralympic medal, indicating that he would now focus solely on archery.

Feng Panfeng wins 10th Paralympic gold in table tennis

China’s Feng Panfeng secured his 10th Paralympic gold medal after defeating Germany’s Thomas Schmidberger in the men’s singles MS3 final for the third consecutive Games. Despite facing the same opponent in three finals, Feng maintained his dominance. Reflecting on his achievement, Feng said, “When I started playing and competed at the (Beijing) 2008 Paralympic Games, I didn’t think about how many titles I wanted to win in a row. I just thought if I could win just one gold medal, that will do."

Schmidberger graciously praised his rival. “He is a great sportsman. He doesn’t think he is something better than others. He is very fair, very strong, very impressive over many years. He can be an idol for any sportsman.”

Meanwhile, the Netherlands' Kelly van Zon captured her fourth Paralympic gold in the women’s singles WS7, while Japan’s Natsuki Wada made history by winning her country’s first-ever women’s Paralympic table tennis gold in the women’s singles WS11.

Natascha Hiltrop secures final shooting gold

Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop clinched the last gold medal of the Paris 2024 shooting events, winning the R6 mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 final with a Paralympic record of 250.2 points. Hiltrop acknowledged her early struggles in the competition, saying, “I made some small mistakes at the start and I had to correct those. I knew what I did wrong and went from there. I am very content with my performance. It was a hard competition.”

China dominates wheelchair fencing

In the wheelchair fencing events, China emerged victorious in both the men’s and women’s foil team competitions, defeating Hungary and Great Britain, respectively, in the gold medal bouts. Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Krajnyak and Eva Andrea Hajmasi were overjoyed with their silver medal, with Krajnyak expressing her excitement. “We’re searching for words. Right now we can’t put into words what we feel. It’s huge happiness, all the hard work has paid off right now.” This marked their best result in the women’s foil team competition since taking silver at Rio 2016.

Day 8 Full Podiums:

Para-athletics

Women's Shot Put - F35
Gold: Mariia Pomazan (UKR)
Silver: Wang Jun (CHN)
Bronze: Anna Nicholson (GBR)

Women's Long Jump - T38
Gold: Luca Ekler (HUN)
Silver: Nele Moos (GER)
Bronze: Karen Tatiana Palomeque Moreno (COL)

Men's 400m - T12
Gold: Mouncef Bouja (MAR)
Silver: Noah Malone (USA)
Bronze: Rouay Jebali (TUN)

Women's Shot Put - F57
Gold: Safia Djelal (ALG)
Silver: Xu Mian (CHN)
Bronze: Nassima Saifi (ALG)

Men's 400m - T13
Gold: Skander Djamil Athmani (ALG)
Silver: Fukunaga Ryota (JPN)
Bronze: Buinder Bermúdez (COL)

Women's 100m - T37
Gold: Wen Xiaoyan (CHN)
Silver: Taylor Swanson (USA)
Bronze: Jaleen Roberts (USA)

Women's Shot Put - F64
Gold: Yao Juan (CHN)
Silver: Arelle Middleton (USA)
Bronze: Yang Yue (CHN)

Men's Discus Throw - F11
Gold: Oney Tapia (ITA)
Silver: Hassan Bajoulvand (IRI)
Bronze: Álvaro del Amo Cano (ESP)

Women's Long Jump - T63
Gold: Vanessa Low (AUS)
Silver: Martina Caironi (ITA)
Bronze: Elena Kratter (SUI)

Men's Discus Throw - F64
Gold: Jeremy Campbell (USA)
Silver: Akeem Stewart (TTO)
Bronze: David Blair (USA)

Men's 100m - T11
Gold: Athanasios Ghavelas (GRE)
Silver: Timothee Adolphe (FRA)
Bronze: Di Dongdong (CHN)

Women's 100m - T12
Gold: Omara Durand (CUB)
Silver: Oksana Boturchuk (UKR)
Bronze: Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt (GER)

Women's 400m - T53
Gold: Catherine Debrunner (SUI)
Silver: Samantha Kinghorn (GBR)
Bronze: Zhou Hongzhuan (CHN)

Women's 400m - T54
Gold: Lea Bayekula (BEL)
Silver: Manuela Schaer (SUI)
Bronze: Zhou Zhaoqian (CHN)

Men's 800m - T53
Gold: Brent Lakatos (CAN)
Silver: Pongsakorn Paeyo (THA)
Bronze: Brian Siemann (USA)

Men's 800m - T54
Gold: Jin Hua (CHN)
Silver: Dai Yunqiang (CHN)
Bronze: Marcel Hug (SUI)

Women's Shot Put - F33
Gold: Wu Qing (CHN)
Silver: Gilda Guadalupe Cota Vera (MEX)
Bronze: Svetlana Krivenok (NPA)

Men's Shot Put - F35
Gold: Khusniddin Norbekov (UZB)
Silver: Hernán Emanuel Urra (ARG)
Bronze: Seyed Aliasghar Javanmardi (IRI)

Men's Javelin Throw - F13
Gold: Daniel Pembroke (GBR)
Silver: Ali Pirouj (IRI)
Bronze: Ulicer Aguilera Cruz (CUB)

Para-cycling track

Men's Road Race - H1-2
Gold: Florian Jouanny (FRA)
Silver: Sergio Garrote Muñoz (ESP)
Bronze: Luca Mazzone (ITA)

Women's Road Race - H1-4
Gold: Lauren Parker (AUS)
Silver: Jennette Jansen (NED)
Bronze: Annika Zeyen-Giles (GER)

Men's Road Race - H5
Gold: Mitch Valize (NED)
Silver: Loic Vergnaud (FRA)
Bronze: Pavlo Bal (UKR)

Women's Road Race - H5
Gold: Oksana Masters (USA)
Silver: Sun Bianbian (CHN)
Bronze: Ana Maria Vitelaru (ITA)

Men's Road Race - H4
Gold: Jetze Plat (NED)
Silver: Thomas Fruehwirth (POL)
Bronze: Rafal Wilk (POL)

Men's Road Race - H3
Gold: Mathieu Bosredon (FRA)
Silver: Johan Quaile (FRA)
Bronze: Mirko Testa (ITA)

Para-shooting

R6 50m Rifle Mixed Prone - SH1
Gold: Natascha Hiltrop (GER)
Silver: Anna Benson (SWE)
Bronze: Jean-Louis Michaud (FRA)

Para-powerlifting

Women's Up to 50kg
Gold: Clara Sarahy Fuentes Monasterio (VEN)
Silver: Xiao Jinping (CHN)
Bronze: Olivia Broome (GBR)

Men's Up to 59kg
Gold: Mohammed Elmenyawy (EGY)
Silver: Qi Yongkai (CHN)
Bronze: Mohsen Bakhtiar (IRI)

Women's Up to 55kg
Gold: Rehab Ahmed (EGY)
Silver: Besra Duman (TUR)
Bronze: Kamolpan Kraratpet (THA)

Men's Up to 65kg
Gold: Zou Yi (CHN)
Silver: Mark Swan (GBR)
Bronze: Hocine Bettir (ALG)

Para-table tennis

Men's Singles - MS2
Gold: Rafal Czuper (POL)
Silver: Jiri Suchanek (CZE)
Bronze: Cha Soo Yong (KOR) / Fabien Lamirault (FRA)

Women's Singles - WS11
Gold: Wada Natsuki (JPN)
Silver: Elena Prokofeva (NPA)
Bronze: Ebru Acer (TUR) / Furukawa Kanami (JPN)

Men's Singles - MS3
Gold: Feng Panfeng (CHN)
Silver: Thomas Schmidberger (GER)
Bronze: Glinbancheun Yuttajak (THA) / Jang Yeongjin (KOR)

Women's Singles - WS7
Gold: Kelly van Zon (NED)
Silver: Kubra Korkut (TUR)
Bronze: Bly Twomey (GBR)

Men's Singles - MS11
Gold: Kim Gi Tae (KOR)
Silver: Chen Po Yen (TPE)
Bronze: Peter Palos (HUN) / Samuel von Einem (AUS)

Para-judo

Women's -48kg - J1
Gold: Nataliya Nikolaychyk (UKR)
Silver: Hangai Shizuka (JPN)
Bronze: Rosicleide Silva de Andrade (BRA) / Ecem Tasin Cavdar (TUR)

Men's -60kg - J1
Gold: Abdelkader Bouamer (ALG)
Silver: Seyed Meysam Banitaba Khoram Abadi (IRI)
Bronze: Marcos Dennis Blanco (VEN) / Kapil Parmar (IND)

Women's -57kg - J1
Gold: Shi Yijie (CHN)
Silver: Liana Mutia (USA)
Bronze: Anzhela Havrysiuk (UKR) / Paula Karina Gómez (ARG)

Women's -48kg - J2
Gold: Akmaral Nauatbek (KAZ)
Silver: Sandrine Martinet (FRA)
Bronze: Li Liqing (CHN) / Cahide Eke (TUN)

Men's -60kg - J2
Gold: Sherzod Namozov (UZB)
Silver: Zurab Zurabiani (GEO)
Bronze: Ishak Ouldkouider (ALG) / Davyd Khorava (UKR)

Boccia

Mixed Team - BC1/BC2
Gold: China
Silver: Indonesia
Bronze: Japan

Mixed Doubles - BC4
Gold: Colombia
Silver: Hong Kong
Bronze: Thailand

Mixed Doubles - BC3
Gold: Hong Kong
Silver: South Korea
Bronze: Argentina

Para-swimming

Women's 100m Breaststroke - SB7
Gold: Mariia Pavlova (NPA)
Silver: Iona Winnifrith (GBR)
Bronze: Tess Routliffe (CAN)

Men's 50m Freestyle - S5
Gold: Guo Jincheng (CHN)
Silver: Yuan Weiyi (CHN)
Bronze: Wang Lichao (CHN)

Men's 100m Freestyle - S6
Gold: Antonio Fantin (ITA)
Silver: Talisson Henrique Glock (BRA)
Bronze: Laurent Chardard (FRA)

Women's 400m Freestyle - S10
Gold: Aurelie Rivard (CAN)
Silver: Alexandra Truwit (USA)
Bronze: Bianka Pap (HUN)

Men's 100m Breaststroke - SB11
Gold: Rogier Dorsman (NED)
Silver: Yang Bozun (CHN)
Bronze: Danylo Chufarov (UKR)

Women's 100m Breaststroke - SB11
Gold: Daria Lukianenko (NPA)
Silver: Ma Jia (CHN)
Bronze: Karolina Pelendritou (CYP)

Men's 200m Individual Medley - SM9
Gold: Timothy Hodge (AUS)
Silver: Ugo Didier (FRA)
Bronze: Hector Denayer (FRA)

Women's 200m Individual Medley - SM9
Gold: Zsofia Konkoly (HUN)
Silver: Nuria Marqués (ESP)
Bronze: Anastasiya Dmytriv (ESP)

Men's 100m Breaststroke - SB13
Gold: Taliso Engel (GER)
Silver: Nurdaulet Zhumagali (KAZ)
Bronze: Vali Israfilov (AZE)

Women's 100m Breaststroke - SB12
Gold: Elena Krawzow (GER)
Silver: Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (BRA)
Bronze: Zhen Jietong (CHN)

Women's 100m Breaststroke - SB13
Gold: Rebecca Redfern (GBR)
Silver: Olivia Chambers (USA)
Bronze: Colleen Young (USA)

Women's 50m Freestyle - S8
Gold: Alice Tai (GBR)
Silver: Cecilia Kethlen Jeronimo de Araujo (BRA)
Bronze: Viktoriia Ishchiulova (NPA)

Mixed 4x50m Medley Relay - 20 Points
Gold: China
Silver: United States
Bronze: Ukraine

Para-archery

Mixed Team Event - Recurve
Gold: Italy
Silver: Turkey
Bronze: Slovenia

Goalball

Women
Gold: Turkey
Silver: Israel
Bronze: China

Men
Gold: Japan
Silver: Ukraine
Bronze: Brazil

Wheelchair Tennis

Women's Doubles
Gold: De Groot / Van Koot (NED)
Silver: Kamiji / Tanaka (JPN)
Bronze: Guo / Wang (CHN)

Quad Singles
Gold: Niels Vink (NED)
Silver: Sam Schroder (NED)
Bronze: Guy Sasson (ISR)

Wheelchair Fencing

Women's Team Foil
Gold: China
Silver: Hungary
Bronze: Italy

Men's Team Foil
Gold: China
Silver: Great Britain
Bronze: France