2024-08-29 21:28:01
PARIS (AP) — Dutch track cyclist Caroline Groote won her first Paralympic gold medal on Thursday, as Chinese athletes swept four gold medals on the first day of competition.
Groot won the first medal of this Olympic Games in the track cycling 500m time trial final with a time of 35.390 seconds. French cyclist Marie Patouillet (C5) won silver, giving France her first medal at the Games, while Canadian Kate O’Brien (C4) took bronze.
Chinese athletes followed in Groot’s footsteps. In the men’s C1 3,000-meter individual pursuit, Li Zhangyu led compatriot Liang Weicong, and Wang Xiaomei won the women’s C1-3 3,000-meter individual pursuit.
In swimming, the Chinese team won two more gold medals. Jiang Yuyan won the women’s 50-meter freestyle competition at the S6 level, and Chen Yi won the S10 level competition.
Afghan Paralympic taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi won the refugee team’s first medal at the Paralympic Games, but her opponent Naoual Laarif of Morocco Withdrew before the bronze medal match.
Ugo Didier beat the favorite to win the S9 400m freestyle final and give France their first gold medal, much to the delight of domestic fans.
Simone Baram of Italy and Brendon Hall of Australia won silver and bronze medals respectively.
Hungarian player Zsofia Konkoly won the women’s category.
Kamil Otowski won the S1 men’s 100m backstroke title on behalf of Poland, while Brazilian Gabriel Araújo won the S2 event on behalf of Brazil.
Swimmer Elizabeth Marks won the United States’ first medal: silver in the S6 50m freestyle.
China’s Jiang Yuyan won the gold medal.
Slow Swimmer or Slow Pool?
Concerns about the shallow pool at La Défense Arena for the Olympics were allayed at the Paralympics.
After competing in the 100m butterfly event in S14, swimmers said they did not believe the depth of the pool would make a difference.
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