Paris 2024: Top medal highlights from Day 2

World records smashed at Stade de France

Brazil’s Julio Cesar Agripino dos Santos claimed the first Para athletics gold medal of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, besting the previous men’s 5000m T11 world record by more than five seconds to top the podium.

“This moment, knowing that I won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games, is incredible. I still can’t really describe it. It has to sink in,” said Agripino dos Santos. “I maybe wasn’t the favourite but I knew I had to put it all out there to be in with a chance (of gold).”

Di Dongdong of China broke a 10-year-old world record in the men’s long jump T11 to defend his Paralympic title.

One throw was all Poland’s Roza Kozakowska needed to win gold in the women’s club throw F32. She set a new world record on her first throw, retiring from the competition after her second due to a dislocated shoulder.

The favourite in the women’s shot put F41, Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili, claimed her fifth consecutive Paralympic shot put title.

“This medal is the most important medal because it’s not easy for me,” said Tlili. “To be able to throw in the shot put, you need a lot of energy and lots of strength training, especially for (those with) short stature.”

Despite losing his heat earlier in the day, Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos of Brazil rebounded to win his third consecutive Paralympic gold in the men’s 100m T47.

“I won this event when I was very young in Rio and that was amazing. Now I am a three-time champion - I have no words to describe this. I am really very happy.”

A long-awaited medal for de La Forest

France’s Tanguy de La Forest won his first-ever Paralympic medal, silver in the R4 mixed 10m air rifle standing final. Paris 2024 is de La Forest’s sixth Paralympic Games, and winning this first medal on home soil made it all the more meaningful to him.

“I feel very good. It is amazing. I have my family, my wife here, and it is beautiful to win a medal here,” said de La Forest.

The first day of competition at Chateauroux Shooting Centre also saw India’s Avani Lekhara defend her R2 women’s 10m air rifle standing title, setting a new Paralympic record of 249.7 points. India’s Mona Agarwal made the podium in this event as well, winning bronze.

“It is a great experience. She is the pride of India. It is a great feeling,” said Agarwal of sharing the podium with Lekhara. “I started (shooting) about two-and-a-half years ago and to get a medal is an amazing accomplishment.”

China continues Para table tennis dominance

The first Para table tennis gold medals of Paris 2024 were decided on Friday, with China winning both of day two’s women’s doubles gold medal matches.

The young pairing of 19-year-old Huang Wenjuan and 16-year-old Jin Yucheng won 3-1 over Germany’s Stephanie Grebe and Juliane Wolf in the WD14 final.

“It feels so good,” said Jin, who medalled in her Paralympic debut. “I never imagined I could get a gold medal. This is a very good start for the whole Chinese team.”

It was the experienced duo of Liu Jing and Xue Juan who won the WD5 gold, with a 3-1 victory over Republic of Korea’s Seo Su Yeon and Yoon Jiyu. This is Liu’s ninth Paralympic gold and Xue’s fifth.

Double golds for Australia and Great Britain

It was a good day at the velodrome for Australia and Great Britain, with double golds in Para cycling for both nations.

For Australia, it was Korey Boddington in the men’s C4-5 1000m time trial and Emily Petricola in the women’s C4 3000m individual pursuit.

“I want to tell kids out there to go for their dreams,” said Boddington. “To fight for them. You gotta shoot for the stars.”

Great Britain’s gold medallists were Jaco van Gass in the men’s C3 3000m individual pursuit and Elizabeth Jordan in the women’s B 1000m time trial.

“I have no vision at all, I can’t look at the board or anything, so I just had to wait and hear the results,” said Jordan. “I heard my pilot (Dannielle Khan) scream and I thought ‘jeez’. It felt fantastic.”

Great Britain medalled in four of Friday’s five Para cycling track events, with six medals won on day two by British cyclists.

From injury to podium

Dutch Para swimmer Chantalle Zijderveld’s gold medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB9 was all the more special considering that she spent much of the last year recovering from hip surgery.

“They told me recovery was going to be nine months. If you calculate very quickly, today’s nine months later,” said Zijderveld. "Honestly, the whole past nine months, you know that every day you jump in the pool you can’t give 99%, you have to give like 101%. It was mostly mentally very hard because you can’t take a day off.”

Lisa Kruger joined Zijderveld on the podium, winning bronze. Fellow Dutch teammates clinched medals on day two as well, with gold for Liesette Bruinsma in the women’s 400m freestyle S11 and silver for Rogier Dorsman in the men’s 400m freestyle S11.

It was a family affair for teenager David Kratochvil, who won Czechia’s first gold medal of Paris 2024 in the men’s 400m freestyle S11, with his parents at the pool as his tappers.

“It’s cool (winning Czechia’s first gold medal of Paris 2024). The first day of the Paralympic Games for me, my first competition. I was nervous, but at the start I was totally happy to be there. I enjoyed the atmosphere.”

A grande finale for Kjaer

Friday’s women’s K44 -65kg bronze medal contest at the Grand Palais marked the final competition for Denmark’s Lisa Kjaer, who ended her career with a 6-2 win over Cameroon’s Marie Antoinnette Dassi.

“I lost my dad (to cancer) last December. He was my biggest supporter. I felt like he was with me today. He watched over me. He always trusted me, knew that I could do it. So today, I trusted him and knew I would manage to win this medal. This one is for him.”

All four Para taekwondo gold medallists on Friday were first-time Paralympic gold medallists.