PARIS (AP) — The United States’ men’s goalball team recorded its first victory of the 2024 Paralympics with a tight 5-4 victory over France on Saturday. An arena full of fans supported the French team loudly with flags and chants, but the Americans held off a comeback late in the second half.
Three-time U.S. Paralympian Matt Simpson said he appreciated the electrifying atmosphere that the crowd generated.
“Anytime we get the chance to put our sport on the world stage, it’s really fun to put on a show,” Simpson said after the match. “We’re grateful to the French crowd and so glad they brought the energy – even though they wanted us to get scored on every play.”
The United States will play again Sunday against Iran. The result will determine quarterfinal seeding.
Thanks to 34 tries from Chuck Aoki, Team USA defeated Germany 57-47 in wheelchair rugby. The win pushed Team USA up to second in the Group A table a day after falling to Japan.
After three matches, Aoki has 74 of the United States’ 150 total tries in the tournament. Results of later events Saturday will determine whether the Americans will play in the semifinals or in an additional “placing position” round.
South Korean para shooter Jinho Park won gold in the men’s 10-meter air rifle standing SH1 final. With the score of 249.4, he came only 1.2 points shy of beating his own world record in the event, which he achieved in May 2023. Park previously won silver and bronze medals in Tokyo.
“It was the only medal I did not have so now I have achieved everything,” Park said. “I feel fulfilled.”
He said he thought about his wife during the medal ceremony.
“My wife, she has sacrificed so much,” Park said. “I have not seen her and my family very much in the last year as I prepared for the Paralympic Games.”
The SH1 category is for athletes with missing legs or severe trunk impairments.
Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner opened her six-event Paralympics in a flash, defeating the United States’ Susannah Scaroni, the world record holder and defending Paralympic champion, in the women’s T54 5,000-meter final.
Debrunner finished in a personal best of 10 minutes, 43.62 seconds, while Scaroni held on for silver at 10:45.18. They were competing in the T54 wheelchair classification for people with spinal cord injuries but normal hand, arm and trunk function.
“Once I knew we were alone I was really happy because I knew I was second or first,” Debrunner said. “But then (Scaroni) went really fast for the last 600 meters so I stayed behind her. Somehow I had some energy left at the end.”
Debrunner competes Sunday in the T53 800-meter event, in which she holds the world record, before later races at 100 meters, 400 meters, 1,500 meters and the marathon.
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Ana Escamilla and Julianna Russ contributed to this report. Etienne, Escamilla and Russ are students in the undergraduate certificate program at the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia.
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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
