Paris 2024: Archery, shooting and taekwondo medal mania on Day 3
From established stars like shooting Para sport's Sareh Javanmardi to new faces like Para taekowondo's Matt Bush, Day 3 is promising a whole host of podium opportunities in Paris 31 Aug 2024
It is day three and the Paralympic Games are getting into the swing of things. The weather is looking a little better, and there is plenty of great sport in the forecast too.
There are the first medals in Para archery, with a potential opportunity for pregnant British star Jodie Grinham to reach the podium.
The likes of Team GB’s Amy Truesdale and USA’s Evan Medell are in the line-up on the final day of Para taekwondo medals at Grand Palais.
Both are in quarterfinal action as they look to better the bronzes they won in Tokyo in the K44 class.
And then there’s the second day of action at Chateauroux, with Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sareh Javanmardi in action.
She is looking to qualify for the final of the event that she won in both Tokyo and Rio, the 10m air pistol SH1.
An opportunity for Para archery history
Team GB archer Jodie Grinham has already made history at the Paralympics this summer, becoming the first pregnant athlete to compete.
But on Saturday, she could go one step further and become the first to win a medal. She is competing in the ST women’s individual compound 1/8 elimination round against Kseniya Markitantova of Poland, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final to come on the same day at the Esplanade des Invalides.
“I am hoping to medal. I'd be disappointed if I don't," Grinham told the IPC.
“It's really weird when you're an athlete and you're a female, if you want children, it is a constant thing of 'when am I going to be able to time this?' Can I compete?" Grinham explained.
It is her first Games since Rio 2016, where she picked up a silver medal.
Last call for Para taekwondo
It is all coming to a head in Para taekwondo already, with the final medals being given out on day three.
Amy Truesdale and Evan Medell are just two of the biggest names on show as 12 medals will be won on the day through six bronze matches and three gold.
Although Truesdale is a key Team GB hopeful, Matt Bush is also one to watch. The 35-year-old, competing in the men’s K44, became world champion in 2023. He is making his Games debut after an anterior cruciate ligament injury ruled him out in Tokyo.
Shooting for the stars
There are more medals to be won at the Chateauroux shooting range with a number of ones to watch on show.
Sareh Javanmardi is looking to defend the women’s 10m air pistol SH1 title she won in Tokyo, and although she’ll be a hot favourite again, there will be some stiff competition. Frenchwoman Gaelle Edon will be confident on home soil after finishing in second place at the World Championships in Lima in 2023.
In the other medal competition, the men’s 10m air rifle SH1, People’s Republic of China’s Chao Dong will be there to defend his title.
Full shooting Para sport programme
Medal mania again at Para athletics
Now that Para athletics has started, it will be hectic for a while at Stade de France, with plenty of events to watch.
That also means plenty of medals. Team GB wheelchair racer Eden Rainbow-Cooper is set to compete in the women’s 5000m T54 final at her first Games, having become the first British woman to win the Boston Marathon in April.
“The biggest aim is to have fun and get that experience of a Paralympic Games,” she told the IPC.
USA’s Noah Malone is going for men’s 100m T12 gold, hoping to go one step further than in Tokyo.
