Jayce
On the penultimate day of the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Team China delivered an exceptional performance, securing four gold medals and positioning themselves for several more on Monday.
Men’s Doubles: Mai Jianpeng/Qu Mo successfully defended the title
Mai Jianpeng and Qu Zimo successfully defended their men’s doubles WH1-WH2 title, while their compatriots Liu Yutong and Yin Menglu turned the tables on their opponents, defeating Sarina Satomi and Yuma Yamazaki to win the women’s doubles WH1-WH2 championship.
The women’s singles finals for both WH2 and SH6 will feature all-Chinese matchups, guaranteeing two more gold medals for Team China. In addition to the four golds already secured, China is in contention for five more, surpassing their performance at the previous Paralympics.
Liu Yutong and Yin Menglu had lost to Satomi and Yamazaki in the final at the Tokyo Paralympics. This time, the Chinese duo dominated, relying on their superior fitness to win 21-17, 21-19.
“Our training was incredibly tough, and sometimes I would cry after practice, but now I feel it was all worth it,” said Yin Menglu.
“We lost to the Japanese team in Tokyo, but we weren’t mature enough then,” Liu explained. “We’ve been preparing for this moment for three years. After the loss in Tokyo, we kept motivating ourselves to win gold.”
Their compatriots Mai Jiadong and Qu Wenxiong were favorites to win the men’s doubles title, and they easily defended their crown. South Korea’s Jeong Jaegun and Yoo Suyoung couldn’t challenge them, losing 21-10, 21-12 in straight games.
“This was our second time in the final, so we were very confident,” said Qu Zimo. “We haven’t played against them much, so we had to be cautious in the first game. But as the match progressed, we gained the upper hand.”
Singles final: Liu Yutong and Qumo compete for the second gold medal
Liu Yutong and Qu Zimo are also favorites to win their second individual gold medals. Liu will face Li Hongyan in the WH2 final, while Qu will battle Choi Jungman in the WH1 gold medal match.
China’s fourth gold will come in the SH6 women’s singles, where Lin Shuangbao and Li Fengmei will face each other for the title.
The penultimate day of the para-badminton competition had a festive atmosphere, with French spectators turning out in force to support Charles Nox. With their encouragement, Nox advanced to the men’s singles SH6 final.
Nox won an exciting semifinal against Vitor Tavares and will face Krysten Coombs for the gold medal.
“There are no words; it feels like a dream,” Nox said. “Today’s match was very tough because Vitor is so strong. But today I wanted to make myself proud, and make my parents proud. I have their picture on my watch, and that helped me fight until the very last second.”
