Immediately after, Lu Dong mirrored the achievement in the women's race at La Defense Arena, marking the penultimate day of competition in Paris. Jincheng was accompanied on the podium by fellow Chinese athletes Yuan Weiyi and Wang Lichao, further solidifying China’s dominance on the overall medal chart. By the end of Friday’s events, China had claimed 83 gold medals, 41 more than their closest rival, Britain.

"I feel more stressed when I compete against my Chinese teammates," Jincheng shared. "We all know each other, the details and everything. The smallest thing could make me lose," he added.

Despite being overtaken in the swimming standings, Britain celebrated four medals, including a gold for Poppy Maskill in the women’s 100 S14 event, which is for athletes with intellectual impairments.

"I was a little bit annoyed because it's not a PB (personal best)," she commented. "I am happy with the medal obviously, that's really cool and a great achievement. I am slightly disappointed in the time because I know I can do better. But I tried my hardest," she said.

Another standout moment came from Italy’s para swimming star Simone Barlaam, who won his second gold medal of Paris 2024. Barlaam set a European record in the 100m butterfly S9, a classification for swimmers with joint restrictions in one leg, double below-the-knee amputations, or a single leg amputation.

Barlaam, who spent part of his teenage years in Paris receiving treatment for his leg, had the surgeon who saved his limb present to watch his victory on Friday. "Thinking that 12 or 13 years ago I was here in this very city, with him, in a very different location," Barlaam reflected. "It feels very surreal... I would have never imagined even in the best scenarios this kind of thing (would happen)."